


let me speak to your manager

by derflohwalzer



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Autistic Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Crying, Dancing, Drinking, Drunken Confessions, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Implied Self-Harm, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, Mistakes, Misunderstandings, Multi, Nightmares, Original Character(s), Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Slow Burn, Unrequited Crush, Yelling, and read the labels, but other ships are really either passing or implied, its really centric on ishimondo, jk rowling didnt write harry potter toko did, naegami n toko/junko gets some spotlight, no beta we die like men, seriously chapter eight is super sad read at ur own risk, this is cowritten and not beta'd so, very sad, when i say angst i mean angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27010804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derflohwalzer/pseuds/derflohwalzer
Summary: it's been eight years since they last saw each other.they don't remember each other, not yet, but when they do, it'll open up to a whole new life of surprises.
Relationships: Enoshima Junko/Genocider Syo | Genocide Jack, Enoshima Junko/Kamukura Izuru, Enoshima Junko/Soda Kazuichi, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Owada Daiya, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Ikusaba Mukuro/Maizono Sayaka, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Komaeda Nagito & Togami Byakuya, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko & Soda Kazuichi, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya, Nanami Chiaki/Sonia Nevermind, One Sided Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Soda Kazuichi, Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham
Comments: 99
Kudos: 119





	1. PROLOGUE.

**Author's Note:**

> this is cowritten with my good friend clover! mutt currently does not have an ao3 account, but mutt is writing with me!

Kiyotaka Ishimaru would not consider himself to be a very interesting person.

He was a 25 year old gay kindergarten teacher who had a love for enforcing reasonable and morally just rules. He wouldn’t consider that very interesting, especially not compared to some of his friends, such as Naegi, who had won the lottery once, or Fukawa, who was a world renowned bestselling author.

His life hadn’t been especially captivating either.

For most of his life since he started living with his sister, he’d just been repeating the same routine over and over, with minor changes here and there. Wake up, do your morning ritual, go to work, come home and train, eat dinner, go back to sleep, rinse and repeat. The same cycle over and over again.

He wasn’t complaining, by any means. He was perfectly content with the simple, easy lifestyle he lived.

It was just that sometimes he wished for something...interesting. Something fun. Something to break him out of his daily habits and set him free.

He’d always imagined that it would be something big, extravagant, life changing, like a natural disaster or something of the sort. It would certainly change his life.

However, as much as he loved to paint a picture of the idea, he never went through with it. If he did, everything could change and his world, his life, his entire  _ existence _ would never be the same. So he never really took any initiative to change up his lifestyle or add a special something to his routine.

He would always be the same old Kiyotaka Ishimaru that everyone knew.

Bland, boring, absolutely perfect.

And that was how he intended to keep it.

❥

Mondo Owada would certainly call himself interesting.

From running a gang full of bikers in highschool to nearly getting killed twice in the same month in his college years to starting a small coffee business with his brother at 27, he would definitely say he’s been through a lot of ups and downs.

His life was never organized. There was no set routine to his life, just do whatever feels right and let shit happen. There was a twisty - turny unpredictability to his life that he found a somewhat - comfort in.

But even through all the curveballs that life threw at him, he still managed to find some peace in his job at Jabberwock Cafe. His older brother and closest friend Daiya had decided to name it Jabberwock Cafe after one of the coworkers suggested it and he had decided that he liked the way it sounded. Honestly, Mondo found the name kind of silly, but he wasn’t complaining.

His life was the perfect mix of unpredictable and organized.

Too bad he never liked things perfect.

Things were getting kind of...bland lately.

He wasn’t saying that he didn’t like how things were now. The dynamic and relationships he had with his friends and regulars at the cafe were things he treasured greatly.

But he couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.

He’d go to bed at night with some sort of empty feeling in his chest, as if yearning for something that wasn’t there, that had never been there in the first place.

What else could he possibly want that could fill it?

❥

Two lonely stars, drifting aimlessly through a pointless space. Never close enough, always so far away. Longing for the other, yet never knowing that they needed each other. 

Would they ever get to meet?


	2. i.

A sigh, pen clicking rapidly as Ishimaru tried to focus, to keep the small uniform text on his computer screen from just blurring into a hazy greyish - black blob.

Thumb starting to get numb from clicking his pen over and over again, he set it down and instead focused on staring at the clock. Just a few more minutes and he’d be allowed to leave for the weekend…

“Mr. Ishimaru?”

A sigh.

Just a little bit longer…

As he turned to face the student that needed help, he tried his hardest to keep his eyes from straying to the clock. 

_ Come on, Kiyotaka, focus. You can’t help the kids succeed if you don’t put in effort. _

The minutes tick by almost tauntingly until the bell finally rings overhead and the students are grabbing their bags. Out of instinct, Ishimaru is standing up, trying to keep everybody organized and in line. 

“No running, please!”

Sigh. Having lunch at the end of the day with his two best friends today was going to be very much worth it.

Kiyotaka ran his hand through his hair and sighed. It was a Friday, and besides the kids rushing out the school, not much was happening outside. Glancing around for any sign of Naegi or Fukawa outside the window, he began to pack up his things.

As if on cue, the door swung open, and a familiar voice called out, “Delivery!”

A smile crossed Ishimaru’s face as he turned.

“Hello, Makoto. How are you?”

The brunette in question had a smile as he replied, “I’m good! There’s been a lot of picky customers lately, but it’s whatever. What about you?”

A tired smile from Ishimaru. “Mostly tired, if I’m being quite honest. Getting to have lunch with you two is a luxury I’m pleased to be able to have.”

“Oh, c - c’mon. Qu - uit being so f - formal all the time...” came a voice from behind Naegi. Ishimaru smiled.

“Lovely to see you too, Toko.”

The young author simply gave a little ‘hmph’ and glanced away, fingers wrung together. Ishimaru only smiled; Fukawa had never been good with expressing emotions, so that reaction was probably the best he was going to get.

“Hey, uh - if it’s not too much, I was hoping we could try somewhere new today for lunch?”

Ishimaru cocked an eyebrow, curious.

“What’s wrong with where we usually go, Makoto?”

Naegi shifted nervously, feet shuffling from side to side as he played with a loose thread on the hem of his sweater.

“Well, this new cafe and snack bar just opened up a couple months ago, and they’re a bit closer to here than Der Flohwalzer. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to Der Flohwalzer and getting to see Akamatsu - chan, Saihara - chan and everyone else, but maybe we could try out this place? Try something new?”

Ishimaru opened his mouth to respond, but Fukawa was one second quicker.

“C - c’mon, Makoto, you know you just w - wanna go be - ecause that rich blonde boy fr - requents the cafe.”

At the implication, Naegi’s cheeks flushed pink, and he lightly shoved Fukawa away from where they were playfully teasing him...in her own way.

“That is not true!”

Before they could get into another play - argument, Ishimaru cleared his throat, garnering the two’s attention.

“I’d like to try out this place, it seems pleasant if it’s to Makoto’s liking. What did you say it was called again?”

“Oh! It’s called Jabberwock Cafe, the one around the block and across the street from that small tattoo parlor that Yonaga - chan works at.”

A hum.

“It sounds interesting. Well then, let’s go, shall we?”

A happy and determined nod from Naegi and a quick sound of agreement from Fukawa was enough to get him to start walking to the exit of his classroom, the two following him to the school parking lot.

With little effort, they fell back into their usual routine of talking about mindless little things, ranging from more of Fukawa’s theories to some of the more...insufferable customers Naegi had had to deal with that day. Ishimaru could only laugh along with them as he felt a sort of warmth fluttering in his chest from the nostalgic familiarity of it all.

He’d only worked in jobs like those once before in his life, as a Hot Topic employee in his younger years, but he’d definitely had quite a handful of run-ins with the types of customers Naegi was already very used to.

They all filed into Naegi’s BMW, with Fukawa immediately snatching her aux cord and plugging it in before anyone else could. Not that anyone was going to anyway; Fukawa’s taste in music was something all three of them could enjoy.

_ ‘You got bleached out eyes from the valley sand _

_ And a black tar palms keep weeping your name’ _

Sitting amidst comfortable chatter as Naegi drove down a street Ishimaru had never seen, the three were quick to start talking about more little things.

It was all nice and dandy until Fukawa started talking about the dating status of the two.

“You two a - are already in your tw - twenties! Sh - shouldn’t you have gotten a - at least a fling by now?”

_ ‘I couldn’t change ya, no _

_ Couldn’t ever try to make ya see, no’ _

“There is a guy I’m interested in, but he’s waaaay out of my league,” Naegi pouted, slumping just slightly as he took a right turn.

“It’s that corporate guy, right? The one Toko was talking about.”

“Ughhhh...yeah, that’s him. The guy who literally has no clue I exist.”

Ishimaru laughed lightly.

“I’m sure he at least knows about you, if you’ve visited this cafe enough times to know he frequents it.”

“Shit, you’re right...does this make me a stalker?”

“N - not at all, it j - just means you’re o - observant ...by the way, wh - what about you, T - Taka?”

Ishimaru blinked, sitting up.

“Who, me?”

“Y - yeah. There’s gotta be s - someone you’re eyeing.”

_ ‘The high rise lights read your rights _

_ And a downtown storm with Aries rising’ _

The raven haired teacher simply shook his head as they pulled into the parking lot of a plaza none of them had visited before.

“I’m not seeing anyone currently. There’s admittedly a lot of attractive people in the workplace and that I meet from time to time, but none of them are really my type.”

Fukawa pouted, resting her chin on Ishimaru’s shoulder from the backseat.

“You’re no fun...but maybe this cafe has some guys that might be your type.”

Ishimaru only let out a slight laugh as he unbuckled and opened the door, climbing out after swatting Fukawa’s chin off of his shoulder playfully.

“Haha, maybe. I doubt it.”

_ ‘I couldn’t change ya, no _

_ Couldn’t ever try to make ya see, no’ _

The music cut off as Naegi turned off the car and got out, waiting for Fukawa to climb out before he led the two to the entrance of a quaint cafe. The exterior was painted pink and white, and it gave off a somewhat tropical feel. Ishimaru felt somewhat comfortable in the presence of the cafe despite the walls looming far above his head.

“Well, shall we go?”

Naegi held the door open for the two, and they stepped inside to be met with bright lighting reflecting off of white walls painted with warm tropical scenery. The light cafe chatter of customers mingling at tables and the clack of students and workers typing on keyboards overlapped with the sound of upbeat instrumentals coming from the radios stationed in the walls above their heads.

It had a nice warm vibe to it despite the cold nips of winter approaching soon, and Ishimaru took an instant liking to the feel of the place.

Before he could react, there were three people walking up to them with smiles, beelined for Naegi.

“Hey, Naegi - san,” the one with pink hair and a sleepy tone said with a small smile. There was a 3DS in their hands and a clip of some pixelated object or character in their hair. “Nice to see you again.”

“Heck yeah! It’s been so long!” the one with tanned skin and wild brown hair grinned, side hugging Naegi with one arm and holding their food with the other. Their grip was apparently strong enough to pull Naegi down with them, the latter in question not really resisting.

“Akane - chan, it’s been two days. Naegi - san is probably busy,” the one with the green tie under their pink and white apron said, tone serious but lilting. “But yeah, it’s nice to see you back again. And who are these people?”

Naegi pulled back from the tan one - Akane? - and stepped back to rejoin with Fukawa and Ishimaru.

“This one’s Fukawa, she and they. She’s an author, I’m assuming you know them?” Naegi introduced. Fukawa gave a small wave that Akane and the other pink haired one returned. The one with the green tie, however, had stars in their eyes.

“You mean Fukawa as in Toko Fukawa? The author of ‘So Lingers the Ocean’?” they asked brightly.

“Y - yeah, that’s m - me,” Fukawa half - mumbled, holding a hand out hesitantly. Green Tie instantly shook her hand with a pleasant smile.

“I’m a big fan of your works. You write so eloquently, it’s really astounding. Could I maybe...get an autograph sometime?”

“S - uh. Sure…” Fukawa nodded. Green Tie smiled brightly at that and stepped back, prompting Naegi to introduce Ishimaru.

“And this is Ishimaru,he,they,mutt and meow interchangeably. he’s a kindergarten teacher at Hope’s Peak Elementary,” Naegi said with a smile. “Akane - chan, didn’t you say your little sister went there?”

“Hey, yeah!” Akane nodded with a grin. “I think she’s in your class! Mr. Ishimaru, right? I’m Akane Owari, her older sister! She won’t stop yammering on about you at home! Says you’re the funnest teacher she’s ever had.”

“I keep telling her that ‘funnest’ isn’t a word…” Ishimaru mumbled, but it was lighthearted as he reached forward to shake Akane’s awaiting hand. “But yes, that’s me. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Owari - san.”

“Ahh, c’mon, none of that formality bullshit!” Akane grinned. Ishimaru fought back a wince at his language as she continued. “Just call me Akane, Akane - chan, whatever!”

“Alright...Akane - chan,” Ishimaru nodded. “You can call me Kiyotaka, or just Taka.”

“Hell yeah, nice to meet ya, Taka!” she grinned brightly before taking another bite of her pastry.

“Hey there, Kiyotaka. I’m Chiaki Nanami, she and purr. It’s nice to meet you. You can just call me Chiaki, or any nickname you come up with.”

“Alright, Chiaki - chan,” he nodded with a pleasant smile. Purr only gave a slow nod before returning back to her game.

“Ah, I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m sorry for not doing it earlier. My name is Hajime Hinata, but you can just call me Hajime. My pronouns are he and mutt,” Green Tie - Hajime - said with a smile.

They all nodded, greeting mutt and acquainting themselves, Fukawa getting to sign Hinata’s copy of So Lingers the Ocean, much to the latter’s happiness.

They continued to familiarize themselves with each other until Nanami cleared purrs throat.

“Hajime - chan, Akane - chan, we have to get back to work,” she deadpanned, rubbing at her eye with her fist while she spoke.

Hinata sighed and scratched the back of his neck. “True, true.” As the others went back to work, he looked up and smiled at his customers.

“There’s a really comfy seat over there, by the way.” 

Mutt pointed to an empty table for four at the end of the cafe. It was against the window, where right beside it two people were seated in another. As he put his arm down and produced a small notepad and pen from his back pocket, he smiled slightly. “May I take your order?”

Naegi had requested his ‘usual’, to which Fukawa snickered.

“O - oh, you have a u - usual? Haha, how pr - predictable.”

“Haahahaha, shut up.”

After having their orders written down, Naegi, Ishimaru and Fukawa made their way to the table, putting their bags under their seat. Ishimaru bounced his leg and tapped his fingers against the table, working away some of the pent-up stress he had from the day of teaching.

“Say, Toko,” he said to grab the other’s attention. 

She had been looking at her phone, scrolling through social media. 

“W-What?” 

They looked up to see Ishimaru absentmindedly tapping on the table. 

“How do you write so well? I mean, all of the action scenes you’ve written are just…fantastic, I don’t even know how to put it. They’re so full of life, and I bet you haven’t experienced half the things you write.” He chuckled the last bit. 

Fukawa flushed as they put her thoughts in order. As much as they were used to open praise like this, it always caught them off guard. 

“Well…” She chewed on the side of her mouth a bit, thinking of what to say. “I guess I’m…creative? I - I wouldn’t know though, I’m definitely not the best at my craft.” 

Along with her stuttering, they also had a habit of cluttering their words, so the last bit was spoken quickly and sort of garbled. 

Ishimaru, who was already used to it, smiled and looked at Fukawa. 

“Stop putting yourself down, you’re great at what you do. You should acknowledge it more.” 

Toko sighed and leaned against the table. “Y - You’re right, m - maybe I should.”

“What about you, Taka?” Fukawa said. 

“What do you mean,about me?” Ishimaru stopped tapping at the table and sat still for a second. 

“I mean, y - your teaching skills. St - statistically speaking, about 90 percent of y - your class is going to p - pass this term. The other t - ten percent is falling behind b - by just a few numbers.” 

Ishimaru scratched his cheek with mutts index finger. “Aw shucks,” He smiled. “My teaching skills are far from stellar. I’ve only got five years of teaching under my belt after all.” 

Their conversation was cut short by Naegi reaching under his seat and grabbing his phone.

“Sorry to interrupt, but when’s the food coming?” Naegi said as he plugged in xyr earbuds. “I kinda forgot…” 

Xe ran xyr hands through xyr hair after putting on his earbuds, ruffling the hair slightly. Ishimaru and Fukawa shrugged at the question.

“I think Hajime - chan told us to wait…thirty minutes or so, if I recall what mutt said correctly?” Ishimaru answered with a hint of doubt. Fukawa simply nodded in response as they turned back to her phone, typing on the keyboard with a hint of a smile.

The peaceful moment they were once sharing was interrupted by a very annoyed Hinata groaning from a couple seats behind. 

“No sir, I wasn’t the one that made your coffee. It was an employee in an earlier shift. What is the problem with it?” he spat out, his voice showing that he was clearly not in the mood.

“The way your coworker made this coffee is completely unacceptable, this is  _ not _ what I ordered! How am I expected to dine peacefully in such a place, with such a horrid work system?”

“If the way we make your coffee is a bother, you are  _ more _ than welcome to leave,” Hinata gritted out, polite customer smile strained and trying not to snap. “Or you can tell me what’s wrong with it, and I can see to it that you get a replacement.”

“This is absurd! I demand to speak to your manager!” the blonde customer barked.

Hajime sighed as he leaned against the counter. “What for…” he said under mutts breath, tired of the customer's presence.

From behind Ishimaru, Fukawa nudged Naegi with a weird look.

“And  _ that’s _ the guy you like?” they whispered to him with a bit of a mocking tone.

“Shut up, Toko. Togami - san’s usually not like this.”

From the corner of his eye, Ishimaru noticed Chiaki rolling her eyes and leaving purrs place next to a taller blonde person to poke purrs head into the back. Ishimaru could faintly hear her quiet voice talking to someone before she poked her head back out and went back to her place.

Suddenly, a third party joined the mix.

A guy with white hair and pink undertones, despite not looking a day above 21, and calm spearmint eyes was speaking now, and Ishimaru had been so focused on trying to see who Chiaki had been talking to that he didn’t hear the first part of the white haired person’s sentence.

“...not argue, there’s no need to start a ruckus in such a lovely establishment.”

His voice was a tad bit rasped and was definitely on the softer side, with lilts here and there, but it was an ultimately soothing sound, and Ishimaru was sure it would tide the two down.

He was wrong.

The intervention only spurred Hinata further as he said with a slightly angrier voice, “Stay out of this, Komaeda. This isn’t your fight.”

The white haired person - Komaeda - ducked his head in shame, and the mortified and hurt look in his eyes prompted Ishimaru to instinctively reach towards him with a comforting hand before realizing that this guy wasn’t one of his students and was a stranger that he had never talked to at all.

Before he could pull his hand away, Komaeda had jolted up slightly from the sudden touch and turned around, his soft spearmint eyes meeting Ishimaru’s intense red eyes. While Hinata and the customer argued, Ishimaru shifted so it was easier to lean over and speak to Komaeda.

“Are you alright? That was...uncalled for, honestly. To embarrass you and yell at you in such a public place with everyone watching...it’s honestly such a horrible situation to be in, you must feel terrible.”

To his surprise, Komaeda only laughed softly, the sound kind of...jarring to hear.

“Don’t feel so sorry for me, sir. I deserve it, I was the one who intruded on their argument. I have no place to be receiving such kind words of sympathy.”

Ishimaru blinked. But...Komaeda had seemed so hurt by what Hinata had said. Didn’t he feel at least a little bitter?

“With all due respect, Komaeda - san, I believe that you should not be taking the blame for this situation. You were simply trying to tide over an argument that was disrupting the peace of this cafe. That’s nothing to be sorry for.”

Komaeda’s eyes met Ishimaru’s, and the latter could have sworn he saw a thin glisten in Komaeda’s eyes as the white haired person smiled.

“Those words mean so much, sir. Thank you. I truly don’t deserve to be comforted so kindly, it’s a real honor.”

“Of course, Komaeda - san.”

“Please, call me Nagito. They them. It’s a pleasure to meet you…”

“Ishimaru. Kiyotaka Ishimaru. You can call me Kiyotaka, or just Taka works.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Taka - san.”

“Likewise, Nagito.”

Their brief moment of acquaintance was interrupted when the blonde customer - Byakuya - raised his voice again.

“I will not tolerate such impoliteness towards myself! I demand to speak to the manager!”

Ishimaru turned to the argument again, feeling Komaeda’s eyes follow his line of vision. He briefly noted that the green eyed customer’s hand never let go of his sleeve. He didn’t really mind.

“If you want to see him so badly, maybe you should go talk to him yourself after growing a pair of - ”

_ “What’s going on here?” _

Immediately, both Hinata and Togami’s eyes turned toward the source of the voice, and Ishimaru’s head turned too.

Oh.

The manager, he assumed.

Shifting slightly, he watched as the tall person came up to the two arguing, face stern. Half bronze half black hair tied in a bun, striking lavender eyes painted lightly with eyeliner, scarily muscled arms, and lightly tanned skin all etched their way into Ishimaru’s mind as he watched the person walk with a stern and rather intimidating air towards Hinata and Togami.

“Boss,” Hinata regarded them with a nod.

“You must be the manager. What are you thinking, dressing so crudely in a family friendly cafe?” Togami glared the manager down harshly, but the well built person didn’t even budge.

“I’m the manager of this place for now. Don’t usually get called out unless there’s some customer bein’ a prick to the employees,” they snapped. Ishimaru would have opened his mouth to scold this person on their language, but a tiny pull on his sleeve from Komaeda pulled him back down to reality and reminded him that this was the manager they were talking about.

“Your entire demeanor and the service of this establishment is completely unacceptable! I demand you pay me back my dues at once!”

The manager sighed, as if he’d done this a million times before.

“Our service is completely up to par with our customers, sir. If you have an issue with that, I’ll have to kindly ask you to leave the establishment.”

Something about the manager’s voice gave Ishimaru the vibe that they were leaving no room for argument. Togami seemed to sense this too, because he simply sputtered in disbelief before grabbing his bag, standing up. 

“F - fine! I’m never dining here again! And I’m leaving you a negative Yelp review!”

And with that, Byakuya began to storm out. He faltered as soon as he caught Naegi’s eyes watching him, emotion indiscernible. Togami’s expression crumbled for a split second before he grunted, frustrated, as he left the cafe.

Hinata and the manager talked for a little while before the former turned to glance in Ishimaru’s direction. It took the teacher a couple moments before he realized that Hinata was talking to Komaeda, who was still behind Ishimaru.

“Shit, Komaeda - I’m sorry you had to see that. I’m sorry I snapped at you and all that. That was on me.”

The white haired enigma only laughed lightly, that gentle yet somewhat unnerving laugh.

“There’s no need to apologize, Hajime - san. I understand why you lashed out at me, but I forgive you if you insist on apologizing.”

And as the brunette smiled and headed back to the counter, Ishimaru could help but notice that Komaeda’s eyes lingered on the barista’s retreating figure.

“Yeesh, tough b - break alright. That’s t - the one you have a thing f - for?” Fukawa whispered to Naegi, a smirk on her face and a playful tone on their voice.

Naegi frowned, sinking into xyr seat. “Toko, he’s not always like that…he’ll probably come back tomorrow too, so...”

Ishimaru bounced his leg up and down and tapped on the table with his fingertips, not really registering what was being said. They hummed absentmindedly and rocked back and forth, working away at their energy.

“Apologies for the inconvenience, I hope that that customer didn’t cause you too much trouble.”

And Ishimaru turned at the gravelly voice to be met with stunning amethyst eyes locking onto his for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's the first chapter of 'let me speak to your manager'!! we worked hard on this one and we hope it's up to par! see you in the next chapter!!
> 
> as always, comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> \- azalea and clover


	3. ii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mondo and ishimaru talk for the first time and a new party enters the mix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> junko goes by he/it prns in this fic!!

Embarrassingly, the first thing he noticed when turning to get a look at the tall manager was that his face was pointed at the manager’s chest. Like, directly at it.

Quickly tilting his head so he was facing the manager’s eyes instead, he gave a small polite smile.

“Ah, it’s no worries. It happens to the best of us.”

The manager only smiled a bit.

“Name’s Mondo Owada, he him. ‘M only manager for the day ‘cause the real manager’s takin’ a sick day today. And you are?”

Well, Mondo was certainly forward. 

“A - Ah, I’m Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Taka for short.” Ishimaru shrugged a bit and smiled.

“I reckon you’ve all eaten already, or…”

“No, we haven’t actually. We’re still waiting on it.” Ishimaru bounced his leg up and down as he spoke, trying not to make it too clear that he was suddenly overwhelmed.

“Oh.” The manager blinked twice and tilted his head upwards, diverting his eyes from the smaller man as his face flushed slightly. “Alright then uh.... If ya need anything, just ask Hajime and I’ll be here in a second.” Mondo nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck.

And with that he was gone.

“Taka…” Fukawa called out to him to get his attention.

“Huh?” Kiyotaka stopped bouncing his leg and sat still.

“D - Do you have the hots for that guy? Y - Your face is all r - red…”

Fukawa had been eyeing the altercation between the two and had noticed that Ishimaru’s face grew redder and redder with each second the taller man spent in front of him, to a point where the blush in his cheeks was noticeable by anyone that stared at him for more than two seconds.

“What? I am?” Ishimaru pressed his hand to his cheek and felt the warm skin, which caused him to blush even harder with the realization that he’d probably embarrassed himself with that.

“Yeah. You look like a strawberry, kinda,” Naegi commented, glancing up from his phone to study the apparent hue of Ishimaru’s cheeks.

“I do not!”

As if on cue, Komaeda had pulled a compact mirror from his bag and handed it to Ishimaru. The teacher quickly checked his reflection and realized that yes, his face was as red as Fukawa and Naegi had claimed.

Lowering his eyes to hide the hue of his face (which was getting progressively redder as the embarrassment of the situation kicked in), he wordlessly handed Komaeda the mirror back.

“This is...mortifying, to say the least…” he muttered under his breath as Fukawa, Naegi, and Komaeda laughed, the latter sympathetically patting his back.

They were so caught up in teasing Ishimaru that they didn’t notice the loud clacking of heels and the bounce of incredibly huge strawberry blonde pigtails passing by from a few seats away.

Well, one of them did. But that wasn’t important.

❥

Mondo already knew who had entered the room from the obnoxiously loud voice that rang from the direction of the door.

“Heeeey, Mon Mon!! Sooo, I saw what happened with you and that black haired guy, what was  _ that _ all about?”

Turning to face the one and only Junko Enoshima, he sighed.

“Look, Junko, I don’t have time for this.”

That was a lie. He had more than enough time in the world to talk about what had happened. And he knew that Junko had figured that out already.

“Liar, liar, pants on fiiire! Come on, you totally had the hots for that guy! The one with the red eyes? You were practically drooling over him, with the way you were squirming like an antsy little schoolgirl with a crush!”

Mondo definitely would have punched him if he had the energy.

“Aha, cat got your tongue or something?” Junko said as it applied a layer of lip gloss. “Come on, doesn’t the high and mighty Mondo Owada himself have anything to say?”

“Shut up, ya fuckin ‘ broad.”

“Wow, if I wasn’t so generous and kind, I would have definitely laughed at that,” it deadpanned with a little laugh at the end for emphasis. “Come on! You’re supposed to be the greatest former biker gang leader of all time, arentcha? So where’s the balls? Where’s the great big tough man we know and maybe - love? Cuz all I see right now is a quivering pussy.”

“I ain’t no pussy, Enoshima!” he barked, standing up from his desk with a look akin to a very angry dog. Junko only laughed as he checked his reflection in his compact mirror.

“That’s a new one, Owada,” it snarked as Mondo’s face turned red from frustration. “Cuz all I saw when you talked with that guy was you stumbling over your words and acting like a little bitch boy with a cruuush.”

Mondo’s face was getting redder, but it was difficult to tell if it was from frustration or embarrassment. This only prompted Junko to laugh even harder.

“Oh my god, you’re turning  _ so _ red! You totally wanna get in this guy’s pants, dontcha?” it laughed obnoxiously, holding his stomach as he nearly doubled over. How he didn’t fall over in those unnecessarily high heels, Mondo had no clue.

“Shuddup, I do not! We literally met five minutes ago, I don’t wanna bed Taka or whatever the hell yer implying!”

“Oooh, a nickname? Maaan, you two must be  _ really _ close then. Some secret rendezvous you're not telling your best fwiend about?” Junko pouted, voice taking the tone of a baby voice.

“I’ve literally never met him before in my life, why would I have some affair with him? Yer fuckin ‘ insane, ya know that?!”

And as Junko strutted out of Mondo’s office with a wave, he only cackled out a few words before slamming the door behind him.

“Sure I am, what’s your point?”

❥

Junko slid smoothly back into his seat across from one Izuru Kamakura, who was still blasting that song about trucks holding hands or having sex or whatever the shit.

“Heeey, Zuzu! You’ll never  _ guess _ what just happened with Mon Mon and I. I found out about something totally mind - blowing!!”

“What was it?” Izuru asked, head tilting slightly.

“Big bad Mon Mon’s got a cruuush!”

Izuru only blinked. “How can you be so sure? Considering how he is towards you, I would have never expected him to tell you.”

“It was obvious! I kept mentioning that Taka guy he was talking to earlier, and his face looked like a whole ass tomato! You have no idea how funny it was, Zuzu, lemme tell yo - ”

Junko frowned slightly upon realizing that his partner was staring behind him, focused on something behind him.

“Hey, why aren’t you listening?”

“That person behind you is staring at you. The one with the purple hair and the glasses, in the sweater.”

Junko made an exaggerated noise of confusion and turned to see that indeed, a very not so subtle someone with dark purple hair messed up and frazzled and round nerdy ass glasses was indeed staring at him. 

He hid his snarky little grin behind a scoff as he stood, nearly cackling because of how much the glasses person flinched.

Walking over to their table with a practiced grace, he very unceremoniously slammed his hand onto their table, causing the people sitting there to flinch.

“Hey you, the one with the purple hair. What’s your deal? You’ve been staring at me for forever, you creep,” it accused.

The glasses person fumbled with words for a good thirty seconds, fidgeting with their glasses and wringing their fingers together nervously.

“Speak up! I can’t hear you, you dolt.”

“Eep! I - I’m sorry! I didn’t m - mean to stare! I - I just - I just thought that y - you were r - really c - c - cool and - and I - I’m sorry!”

Junko stared down the person dead in the eyes for a good moment, glare intense. The person seemed to be shrinking down with each second that passed, and the other people sitting there were watching the exchange quietly like it was an intense tennis match.

Then, out of nowhere, Junko’s eyes brightened and he tilted his head back with a laugh.

“Oh my god, your face! You looked so scared! Relaax, I’m not here to hurtcha. At least, not right now~” he winked. “I’m only here because you seem like you’re spilling with potential and secrets! C’mon, c’mon, come sit with my partner and I! Let’s get to know each other, Glasses!”

And without waiting for an answer, it grabbed the poor person’s hand and pulled him away and towards the direction of the table that he and Izuru were sitting at.

“M - My food though…a - and my friends..” Junko shrugged as he sat down, pulling Glasses into a chair. 

“Your friends can wait! And hey, I’ll pay you a meal,” he smiled. “Junko Enoshima, he and it pronouns - ”

“Y - yeah, I know.”

Junko blinked. He hadn’t been expecting this person to interrupt, much less already know about Junko’s affiliations. This person seemed like the kind of person to stay away from all that celebrity type shit.

“Wow, really? I thought you were the type to stay away from celeb shit like this. Well! Everyone has new sides to them, and I’d  _ love _ to get to know yours. What was your name again?”

“T - Toko Fukawa. S - she they.”

“You mean the romance author?”

“Th - that’s me.”

“Wow, who knew the writer of such steamy shit would look like this? Not that I’m saying you’re ugly, not at all. You’re cute, Toto.”

“T - Toto?!”

“Yep! Aaanyways, what did you wanna get?”

“U - um…”

“Ahh, c’mon! Don’t be such a worry flurry, I told you I can pay!”

Toko opened her mouth to respond, but quickly shut it once she noticed the black haired person staring at her with a very very personal glare. Junko looked between her and them and huffed.

“Come on, Zuzu! Don’t scare the poor baby, she’s new around here!”

“Sorry, Junko. You know I get suspicious easy. And Toko looks like they’re hiding something.”

Junko was about to dismiss it, but when he turned to face Fukawa, he noticed that she’d gone pale as a sheet of paper, posture rigid and tense as her eyes wavered with some unreadable emotion.

“Hey... _ are _ you hiding something? You’re lookin ‘ pretty sus there, Toto.”

“I, uh - um, i - it’s nothing! Just...jumpy lately!”

Junko narrowed his eyes. An obvious lie, of course.

“C’mon, you can tell us! We won’t tell, pinky swear!”

Izuru only nodded calmly, but Fukawa seemed adamant.

“N - not yet...not until I kn - know you two b - better and I tr - trust you.”

“That’s okay! Whenever you’re ready, Toto!” Junko grinned, smile sharp and catty. “Now, wanna give little ol ‘ Junko a few spoilers for the next installation of that one series you’re writing? The one with the wizards and the academy and all that.”

“W - well…”

❥

“W - What was that?” Ishimaru sighed as if he had been holding his breath for a long time.

Naegi shrugged. “That was Junko. He visits this cafe frequently. He’s always causing some sort of mess here, trust me, I’ve seen a lot of it.” 

“He’s very...flamboyant, to say the least,” Komaeda added.

Ishimaru took another glance over to see Fukawa half smiling as they talked with Junko and that other person.

“They look like they’re having fun,” he commented.

“Trust me, if Junko finds out about Toko’s alter, there’s no doubt it’s gonna end in either a city burning down or a lot of people crying. Probably both.”

Taka looked over to Naegi, his face twisting into a slight smile. “Oh yea…Syo…”

“Yeah. Trust me, once they meet, it’ll be all over for us.”

“Looking forward to it,” Ishimaru commented sarcastically.

“Anyways, weren’t we just on the subject of that manager guy you were ogling?”

“Oh my god, please be quiet.”

Naegi and Komaeda laughed lightly, beginning to tease Ishimaru a bit more about the manager guy - Mondo, Ishiamaru had to remind himself.

Despite how much his face flushed, there was still that overlay of gratitude that Ishimaru had in his mind, simply because Naegi knew how much was too much and when to stop, and that Komaeda seemed to know already.

Soon enough, Hajime was walking over to their table with a platter that had their meal in it. With that, Komaeda stood up and clapped their hands together.

“Well, it was nice spending time with you, but I’d reckon you two would enjoy some time alone with your meal, if I’m not mistaken. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see myself out.” 

They pointed towards their table, which was right next to the counter where Hajime worked.

Naegi nodded and smiled at Komaeda. “Yea, it was fun…” And as if he had just remembered something, he tilted his head up to look at the white haired man. “Oh, can you give me your phone number? I’d like to keep in touch.” 

Komaeda was startled by that question, taken by surprise that someone actually wanted to spend time with someone like them. Their cheeks flushed as they pulled out a cellphone from their pocket. “Yeah, of course.”

Ishimaru raised his hand slightly. “Me too,” he smiled. “I liked talking to you, you’re really nice.”

Komaeda blushed as he clumsily typed out his phone number into the notes app and showed it to Naegi, averting his eyes slightly. 

“Alright, I’ll make sure to keep in touch with you, Nagito,” Naegi said as he typed the number into his contacts list. 

Komaeda nodded. 

“Sounds good. And hey, maybe we can meet again here sometime.”

Waving slightly, Komaeda picked up their bag and headed back to their table. Naegi sighed contentedly and turned back to Ishimaru.

“So! I reckon you probably shouldn’t look now, but I think that Owada is headed your way.”

Ishimaru blinked, and as if on cue, a hand slowly made its way onto Ishimaru’s shoulder. The teacher jumped slightly and glanced up to see none other than the manager himself.

“Oh, Owada - san! Is there something you needed?”

The manager flushed slightly and handed him a slip of paper. Not really handed...it was more of just shoving the paper with an unnecessary force into Ishimaru’s hands.

“K - keep in touch, m ‘ kay? And, uh...call me Mondo.”

And he was gone again without another word.

Ishimaru blinked and unfolded the paper, Naegi quickly leaning over to see.

And there it was. A ten digit number written in big messy handwriting across the paper.

“Oh my god, he’s got it  _ bad _ for you, Taka,” Naegi commented, but Ishimaru could barely hear that over the sound of ringing in his ears and the burn of his cheeks.

Mondo wanted to keep in touch? To get to know him better? What was he trying to get from this? Had he told Ishimaru to call him by his first name because it was easier or because Mondo wanted something more?

Ishimaru carefully folded the piece of paper into a small square and put it in his pocket.

“Let’s just eat for now,” he sighed as he looked down at his food, his hands shaking slightly.

Naegi nodded, suddenly realizing that that had triggered Ishimaru’s anxiety. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Naegi picked up his fork and muttered something quietly under his breath before he started eating, only noticing a bit later that Ishimaru still hadn’t even picked at his food.

“Something wrong, Taks?”

Ishimaru tilted his head up to meet Naegi’s eyes, the corners of his mouth turning up in a small smile.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Just thinking about things.”

Naegi eyed Ishimaru as he spooned some of his food into his mouth, then lowered his head and sighed, still slightly worried.

“Well, okay, if you say so.”

Ishimaru only nodded absently, staring at his food with a distant look in his eyes. Naegi found it impossible to tell what Ishimaru was thinking.

However, if Ishimaru didn’t want to talk, Naegi wouldn’t make him.

So they ate in comfortable silence, but what sparked their inevitable conversation was Junko and the other person dragging Fukawa out the door. What had shocked them both was that Fukawa didn’t seem to mind, even enjoying it, as it appeared.

As they continued to chat about mindless little things, Ishimaru slowly beginning to relax and become a bit more open, neither of the two noticed the lavender eyes watching from afar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!!


	4. iii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they get ready for a rave and mondo figures out something.

_ Juvenilia _ , the flickering neon sign read. Ishimaru was undoubtedly having second thoughts about entering the punk - themed store, but he’d stored away all of his alternative clothing from his teenage years and he honestly had no idea where he’d left them.

He needed some new clothes anyway. Definitely not buying just because Mondo had invited him to a rave and he had no clothes that he could find that were suitable for such an event.

Oh well. Perhaps he’d meet some new people here.

Entering the store, he could hear the faint sound of Ala Mode playing over the radio system over the music in his earbuds. He hummed as he glanced around, and before he could take another step, a voice called out from his left.

“Hey there! Welcome to Juvenilia, the store for all your punk and alternative fashion needs! Feel free to ring one of us up if there’s any problems!”

The employee who had spoken was a taller person with wild pink hair tied up in a haphazard ponytail and a black and brown jumpsuit. Ishimaru could faintly see the oil stains smattering the rolled up sleeves. A mechanic, perhaps?

“Ah, thank you.”

He nodded with a polite smile and began to roam the aisles of the place, looking around.

_ ‘I might go insane if I hear your full name _

_ If you be my no - eyed girl from nowhere mankind can go’ _

Humming softly to himself as his eyes flicked through the selection of belts. They had studded, rimmed, holographic, anything imaginable. He smiled softly at the slight nostalgia that came with seeing all these objects from years back all in one place again.

“Findin ‘ everything okay?”

He turned to be met with a freckled blond haired person looking at him. The person’s cheeks were mottled with pink, and they had the same pin on their shirt as the pink haired person from earlier did, so Ishimaru assumed that this person was an employee as well.

“Ah - yes, I’m doing fine.”

The person raised an eyebrow, arms crossed.

“You’ve been starin ‘ at that shelf for the past three minutes. You sure?”

Ishimaru blinked. Had he really been doing that? “Ah, I’m sorry. Just...lost in thought, that’s all.”

The employee only nodded curtly before turning and exiting the aisle. Okay…

He turned back and added two of the belts to his cart.

As he carefully picked up a third studded belt to examine it closely, the music smoothly transitioned into another track.

_ ‘In between _

_ What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine _

_ Love is so confusing, there's no peace of mind’ _

Ishimaru ran his finger absentmindedly through the belt’s studs and hummed to himself, and as it turns out, it was easy for him to ignore the stomping of heavy platform boots and the clinking of chains that came from the entrance of the store.

“Kazzyyy!!!” Junko, who was dressed in some mix of glam and mall goth, complete with chains dangling off his skirt and platform boots, called out from the entrance of the store, waving its arms up in the air. Along with him was Izuru, who dressed in a similar fashion, just a bit darker and less decorated, and a third party who Ishimaru couldn’t recognize.

‘Kazzy’, who was apparently in the same aisle as Ishimaru was, smiled and waved from where he was stacking the higher shelves, a new employee,who wore a scarf over a My Chemical Romance band shirt and a hoodie,holding up the ladder.

“Ugh, can’t you put on some Ayesha or something? Let everyone know Junko’s in the house,” Junko said as he strutted in,hips swaying from side to side smoothly, stopping behind the employee. “Hi, hamster boy~” He said teasingly with a smirk on his face, pulling on the boy’s scarf slightly. 

“I would advise you to remove your claws from my scarf, temptress,” the employee spoke,his cheeks red with a blood blush, voice surprisingly deep for someone so...non threatening. “The enchanted cloth was recently purified in the magical machines which you mortals call the ‘laundry machine’, and I would prefer it if you did not dirty it with your sinful hands.”

“Ugh, no fun! Whatever, you’re like...really greasy, and it’s not like I’m here for you anyway,” Junko huffed, letting go of the scarf by flipping the end he was holding over Hamster Boy’s oddly styled hair and dusting his hand off on his skirt. “Kazzy - baby, come on down!”

“One sec, ‘Shima. Hey, Gun, quit shaking the ladder around!” ‘Kazzy’ huffed before sliding down the ladder and hip checking Junko. “Lookin ’ good.”

“As usual,” Junko remarked with a flip of one of his enormous pigtails before pecking Kaz on the nose. “I missed you, you dork.”

“ _ The _ Junko Enoshima missing little ol ‘ me? I’m dreaming,” Kaz feigned a dramatic faint, and Junko only laughed.

“C’mon, let’s ditch this popsicle stand! The people you hang out with are  _ so _ boring anyway, c’mon!” Junko giggled, grabbing Kaz’s arm and pulling him away.

“Oh yeah, one more thing. Zuzu, make sure Mukuro doesn’t waste too much of my cash,” Junko said with a grin, eyeing the shorter person with chin length dark brown hair and the long black haired man. 

“That shit’s hard earned,” he remarked before taking Kaz’s hand and tugging him away, towards the back. Where they were going, Ishimaru had no clue, but he subtly noted that Hamster Boy’s eyes lingered in the direction of where the two had gone for a moment too long.

Ishimaru put down the studded belt into his cart and cleared his throat.

Probably catching on to the fact he had been staring at it for way too long,the man turned around to meet Ishimaru’s eyes. As he spoke, it was clear his voice was slightly distant. “Oh, um, welcome to Juvenilia. I’m Gundham, he mutt hound or bee interchangeably. If you need anything, just ask me and I’ll find it for you...” Gundham’s voice faltered at the end as hound scratched the back of mutts' ear.

Ishimaru nodded. “Oh, thank you. I’m Kiyotaka. Taka for short. Um, where are the pants again? I’ve been looking into some models and I’m wondering if you have them here..” He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, working off some stress that had randomly accumulated in his system.

Gundham tilted his head to the side, pointing to another aisle. “They’re over there, on the left side. I hope you find something to your liking.”

Ishimaru smiled slightly. “Alright, thank you.” 

❥

“Kaz, can you come out now? It’s been what, an hour and a half at this point? I know you and Junko are probably busy but it’s almost time for Gundham’s lunch break and I don’t want to have to keep hound around...Man’s been working all morning, bee deserves a break,” a short blonde figure with a freckled face and a mole under his lip spoke from outside the storage closet, knocking on the door with his knuckles.

“Hiko, I’m busy,” Kaz grunted from inside, followed by a small yelp and a grunt. “Give me just a few more minutes.”

“ _ Kazuichi Souda _ , if you don’t come out right this second, I’m coming in,” the boy snarled, putting emphasis on the other’s name as he knocked on the door even harder this time.

“Aah, okay, just let me get dressed dude, c’mon - give me a few more seconds - ”

“GET DRESSED?” Hiko raised his voice suddenly. “OH NO, YOU DID NOT BANG YOUR BOYFRIEND IN THIS ESTABLISHMENT.”

And with that he barged into the storage closet, to be met with a blushing Kazuichi who was still nervously zipping his jumpsuit up and a Junko whose shirt was unbuttoned and whose bra straps were slipping down his shoulders as he sat on top of a box.

“Hiya, Hiko~” Junko said as it waved at the short-haired blonde with a grin, to which he was met with only a scowl.

“Are you fucking with me right now?” xe sighed as xe turned around to stare the pink-haired boy down. “Hell, if I knew you wanted to bed Enoshima that bad, I would have just let you.” 

Xe cleared xyr throat. “Not here of all places though.”

Souda sighed and smiled awkwardly. “Sorry…” crown grinned with a slight chuckle as his voice trailed off.

“Eh, it’s whatever. Anyways, can I let Gundham go for the time being?” the freckled boy shrugged as xe checked xyr watch.

“Yeah, go ahead.” Kaz tilted his head to look at Junko who was swinging its legs up and down and kicking his platform soles into the box as it did. “Are you staying over for lunch or…”

Junko shook his head. “Nah, I’m not. Only came here so Mukuro and Izuru could pick up some stuff here.” It stood up and slid the bra straps up his shoulders. 

He playfully prodded at Kaz’s chest with his index with a snarky grin on its face. “Also, because of you.”

“C - Can I come over later?” Kaz asked as Junko buttoned up its shirt.

“Yeah, of course.” Junko said as he fixed his cute bear hairpins. After doing that, he flipped his pigtails dramatically to make sure the pins were holding them in place and fluffed out his skirt.

“Just text me when so I can buy us snacks. Do I look okay?”

Kaz nodded eagerly, his cheeks red. “Yea, ‘course you do. A hundred percent!”

“Well, I guess I’ll be taking my leave then.” the blonde with huge pigtails clapped his hands together with a grin on his face. “Seeya.” 

It quickly pecked Kaz in the cheek before walking out the door and slamming it behind him.

“I hope you realize the hickeys Junko left on the right side of your neck are painfully obvious, Kaz,” Hiko said with xyr arms crossed.

“H-Huh? They are?” the taller man slapped his hand over the right side of his neck, the blood rushing to his cheeks. 

“Ughh...yes they are, you dolt.” Fuyuhiko frowned. “I’ll go let Gundham know he’s free to go now, if you wanna stay here like an idiot or somethin’.”

As soon as he said that, the small blonde opened the door and walked out, slamming the door behind xem with unnecessary force, leaving Souda on his own in the storage room.

❥ 

“Hey, Izuru, check it.” the person with chin-length hair picked up a record from the extensive collection in the store and waved it around. “I actually made it into a store! I mean, not me, my band, but…” 

They put it down as their voice faltered, suddenly regretting having brought attention to themselves. “Nevermind.”

“No, it’s okay.” Izuru put his hand gently on their shoulder and eyed the album cover.    
  


“Huh, that is pretty nifty,” he said in a monotone voice, attempting to get it across that he was being genuine by squeezing their shoulder slightly. “Good job.”

Ishimaru had been eyeing their exchange from the other aisle for a bit, eyes lingering on the person with the short dark hair. He couldn’t put a finger on who they were, though fae was sure mutt had seen them somewhere.

Suddenly worried that fae would seem weird for staring, meow diverted his eyes from the two dark-haired individuals and focused on finding some nice looking pants for himself.

He hummed to himself as he ran his hands through the several pants that were in display, some which had leather straps and chains hanging out, until he stopped at one which took his attention more than the others.

_ ’La-la-la Lies _

_ Say there's no one else above me. _

_ I'm the King of Fools, cause baby you're _

_ The Queen of White Lies’ _

He sang to himself quietly as he pulled the pants from the display and examined it with his fingers. Spikes ran down the sides of it and chains and studded leather straps dangled out from the pockets and were also laid across it randomly, some overlapping with each other. There were a few tears in the fabric that made them look even more like something a moody teenager would wear.

_ Perfect. _ Ishimaru thought to himself as he put it in his cart. 

❥

Meanwhile, across the town, a loud groan followed by an unusually loud thunk (probably a head slamming on the table) was heard from the Owada house.

Mondo had been spending eons trying to get his hair the right way. He hadn’t wanted to go for simple bun again, ponytail would make him seem like a fucking 30 year old, having it down would make him look greasy, and he was sure as hell  _ not _ gonna have his hair back in that stupid pompadour that he’d had back in high school.

“Ughhh.”

Another head slam. He really needed to stop doing that, it was going to leave red splotches all over his forehead and that wasn’t going to be very attractive. Or fun to deal with once they started bruising.

“Maybe you should stop overthinking, Mondo. Bzzz,” his best friend Chihiro commented as they typed. Probably working on another program or some shit. “This Taco boy or whatever his name was will be impressed by you either way, bzz.”

“His name is  _ Taka _ , Chi,” he gritted out, not because he was mad at them, but because his attempt to try a half ponytail didn’t work. “And he’s one o’ those fuckin’ prim ‘n proper types. I can’t look like a fuckin’ mess.”

“He literally said yes when you invited him to a  _ rave _ , Mon,” Daiya commented from where he was sitting in Mondo’s beanbag, watching Chihiro on the ground from a bit higher. “Prim and proper types don’t exactly go to raves and blackout drunk parties, y’know.”

“Ughhh. I hate it when yer right.”

“You know you love me, little bro.”

Mondo didn’t bother dignifying that with a response and got back to trying to tie his hair up until he just sighed and let the high ponytail fall loose around his shoulders.

“What’s the point? He prolly wasn’t even impressed by me to begin with.”

He saw Daiya through the reflection of the mirror walking into the bathroom behind him. The older man in question pulled at strands of his hair, weaving it together as he spoke.

“That’s why you gotta impress him  _ now _ , Mon,” he said as he pulled the strands of Mondo’s hair taut. “Sweep ‘im off his feet ‘n all that. Unless you don’t think you can.”

“I can! I ain’t no pussy! Just you wait!” Mondo argued. “‘M gonna sweep ‘im off ‘is feet so bad he won’t be able to walk for the next week!”

He only reconsidered his phrasing when Chihiro piped up, “Okay, maaaybe we don’t phrase it like that, meow.”

He winced as he realized how that had sounded.

“Yeah, yer prolly right.”

Daiya only laughed as he finished off the braid he’d been pulling Mondo’s hair into, pulling away and admiring his handiwork.

“All nice and pretty for the rave, little bro. This Taka guy’s bound to be swept away.”

Mondo nodded as he hip checked Daiya before heading to his closet and digging around. He had about an hour or two before he had to be at the rave, so he could afford to spend some time being picky about his clothing choices.

Why he was even bothering looking good for one guy he’d met in a cafe, he didn’t know. But what he did know was that when he got the chance to text Taka for the first time, he’d responded immediately, and after a bit more casual introduction, he’d found it jarringly easy to fall into an easy routine of just talking about whatever came to mind. From his former biker gang to all the weird shit he and his brother had done to that one time he’d let his guard down and Daiya had bounced him so high that he launched up and fell into the foam pit, he felt like he could tell Taka most anything. The red eyed man never really seemed uncomfortable with the stories of grandeur that Mondo told, instead urging him to tell more as time passed. In return, Taka had told him stories about the kids in the class he taught. Kindergarteners, apparently. Mondo found it shocking how easily he laughed at who knows what hour whenever Taka recalled a story from that day or any memorable day where the kids had done some weird shit that Taka felt like he had to share, with a reasonable amount of privacy, of course. 

Their exchanges formed a somewhat bond between the two, and it had gotten to the point where the image of Taka and his polite caring smile and his intense red eyes would flicker in the back of Mondo’s eyelids every time his eyes shut. He didn’t know what it was about, and for whatever reason, he found his mind drifting to Taka at any random convenience. 

Seeing him at the cafe soon became the highlight of Mondo’s somewhat monotonous days, and every time he visited, Mondo made a point of going to his table and at least saying hi, taking their orders if he was on duty for that shift. At night, when he was awake tossing and turning in his bed, it was usually because thoughts of the teacher kept him awake for a good long while. Everything he saw seemed to remind him of the teacher’s red eyes and wiry black hair and seemingly thin frame and pale milky skin, and Taka might as well have been straight liquor for how drunk Mondo was on him.

There was no doubt in his mind that his coworkers had definitely caught on to how interested Taka was with talking to him, but if they had, they definitely hadn’t commented on it. Apart from Aoi and Akane occasionally teasing him when they caught him staring at Taka’s table from across the room, his presence was treated as though it was business as usual, with a bit more friendliness.

Mondo could already imagine Taka again as he shifted through his clothes aimlessly, sitting across from him and drinking his earl grey tea while Mondo simply stood there and admired him from across the counter while he talked. And Taka would turn and give that small smile from around the rim of his teacup, and Mondo would tremble with the urge to reach over the glass counter and pull the teacher in for -

Wait, what was he thinking?

He wasn’t into guys, much less this teacher, no way! He liked girls, right?! He liked girls shorter than him with tits as big as their heads and slim waists, right? He wasn’t gay, he still liked girls, he still thought they were pretty!

But...as he tried to conjure up an image of the perfect girl in his mind, his subconscious kept nudging his thoughts back to Taka. Taka Taka Taka.

“Mon? You okay? You’ve been in there for a good ten minutes, what’s wr - ”

“I think I like guys.”

Daiya blinked.

“It took you that long to find out?”

“What?!”

“Don’t play dumb, Mon. I see the way you look at the Taka guy. You’re practically swooning over him, I’m telling you.”

“But....I know I still like girls, too. I know I like girls too. Does...does that make me selfish? Or...or weird?”

Daiya only pulled him into a hug.

“It makes you strong for being able to admit it. I’m proud of you, little bro!”

Mondo leaned into the touch.

“So...what does this make me?”

“Well, if we’re talkin’ liking boys and girls, then you’re bi, by textbook definition. But if you don’t wanna put a label on it, you don’t gotta.”

Bi, huh?

He liked that.

“Yeah. That sounds...good. I’m bi.”

“Yaaay,” Chihiro clapped, voice quiet so as not to disturb the moment. Their voice was genuine, Mondo knew. “Mondo had his coming of age, poof.”

“Yeah I did. I’m gonna be the best fuckin’ bi icon the world’s ever seen!”

“Woah there. Easy now, wouldn’t wanna scare Taka away. Now, go ahead and pick out some clothes, goddammit, we’ve got less than an hour.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( a ) this was probably one of my favorite chapters to write, and i really enjoyed the little internal monologue that mondo had near the end,,, honestly it was such a good chapter to write ong
> 
> as always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!!
> 
> \- azalea and clover


	5. iv.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they go to a rave for their first hangout together and something happens.

Ishimaru couldn’t help the way his fingers wrung together nervously as he crossed his ankles, still glancing around the street for any sign of Mondo.

_ He said he’d be here at 9:30. It’s 9:33. Is he just running late? Is he riding with someone else instead? Does that mean I got stood up? No, no, Mondo wouldn’t do that. He’s a good man, he wouldn’t stand me up. But...at the same time, I don’t know him too well either...I don’t know if he’d stand me up or not. But what motive would he have to stand me up? Was it so he could make fun of me later? Was it so he could cut me off? Was it because he doesn’t like me and doesn’t want to talk to me anymore because I did something wrong did I do something wrong oh my God what if I messed up what if he hates me because of something I said oh God oh God what have I done what can I do now I’m practically hyper fixated on him how am I gonna let him go oh God oh God fuck fuck I can’t fucking breathe fuck - _

Why was it getting so hard to breathe...?

His vision was blurring, eyes stinging from the feeling of mascara hot with tears so close to his eyes. He tried wiping them away, but they came back tenfold. He thanked his lucky stars that Junko had invited him over to get ready and that the mascara was waterproof, because if Mondo had stood him up (which he probably had) and was recording him having a fucking panic attack, at least the tears wouldn’t be as noticable, they wouldn’t be black and goopy.

Trying so hard not to mess up his hair, he ran his fingers through it and pulled, the sensation enough to tide him over long enough for him to at least catch his breath, if only momentarily. Trying to keep a firm grip on his hair, he opened his eyes as best he could without wincing from the sting and tried to recount five things he could see. 

The flowerbeds...the pillar holding up the roof of his porch...the trees surrounding the sidewalk...the driveway...and the house across the street.

Four things he could feel.

His hair...the tulle on his skirt...the wind on his face...and the tears on his face.

Three things he could hear.

The wind...the rev of a motorcycle in the distance...and the creaking of the bench swing he was sitting on. He was sitting on a bench?

Two things he could smell.

The soil and dirt from the flowerbeds...and petrichor.

One thing he could taste.

Ugh...mascara tears.

The exercise had calmed him enough to the point where he could breathe properly, his heart slowing down to a reasonable pace. He could now clearly see the darker spots on the concrete where the rain had hit under the glow of his porch light and whoever’s headlights were there in front of his driveway.

Wait...there was someone in front of his driveway?

Yeah. Someone was running up to him. Immediately, he took on a protective stance, covering his face with his arms and trying to block his face if this person decided to attack him while trying to clear his vision enough to see who it was.

“Taka?! Oh my god, are you okay?! You’re shaking!”

Mondo?

Slowly letting his arms down to see the barista, he noticed that yes, in fact, he was still quivering slightly. Before Mondo could get a good look at him, he felt the warmth of a jacket, and the smell of cinnamon bark and burnt sugar and warm apple overwhelmed his senses. Instinctively, he pulled the jacket around him tighter, wanting that warm scent and feeling to completely envelop him.

“Shit, Taka, I’m so sorry I was late...I had to drop Chi off last minute at their friend’s house,” Mondo explained, words kind of garbling together as he scratched at his wrist anxiously. Taka blinked, glancing up at him.

_ So...he wasn’t standing me up then? _

“What? No! Why would I ever do that?”

Oh. He must have spoken aloud.

“S - sorry. I just...got worried.”

Mondo smiled, albeit slightly. “If I was gonna stand you up, I woulda at least had the decency to be civil ‘bout it.”

“Y - yeah...yeah.”

Taka nodded, pulling the jacket off of his shoulders and standing up with Mondo’s help. He quietly noted the rough round calluses on Mondo’s hand, probably from woodworking, as he’d mentioned one time in their conversations. They reminded Taka of sun baked river pebbles, and the urge to hold onto his hand while they walked ripped through him. 

“Here, you’re probably going to want this back.”

“Oh, you can keep it on for the ride, I don’t m - ”

Mondo was finally able to get a good look at Taka without the jacket.

And oh my god, he felt like he was going to combust, or melt into a puddle, or start screaming nervously, or all three at once.

Because Taka in a plaid haphazard skirt and a skin tight cropped shirt and platforms was something Mondo had no idea he really,  _ really _ needed.

Mondo could now see just a bit of Taka’s bare figure due to the cropping and  _ oh my God does he have abs are those abs oh my God those are abs he’s ripped holy shit I’m dreaming I’ve ascended holy shit - _

“Is...is everything alright, Mondo? What’s the matter? You look rather...red. Oh no, do you have a fever?!”

“N - no, no fever, nope, I’m a - o fucking 'kay.”

“Language,” Ishimaru gently reprimanded. Following Mondo’s line of vision to his clothing, he shrank in on himself just a bit. “Do I...do I look okay?”

“Y - you look…”

Gorgeous. Absolutely incredible. Stunning. Like, I wanna rip that shirt off of your body because it’s really not doing you justice - type amazing.

“...nice. Really nice. You ready to go?”

Something in Mondo coiled up and burned with a fire that he tried to push away once he saw the slight golden sparkle in Ishimaru’s eyes.

“Thank you, Mondo. You look nice too. Shall we go?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“Language.”

❥

When they arrived at the building, dark and gaudy with neon rimmed windows and loud music blasting from inside, the first thing Ishimaru noticed was Naegi outside, leaning on the wall while flicking through his social medias.

“Hey, Naegi. Why aren’t you inside?”

The brunette in question looked up.

“Oh, hey Taka. Looking good. And, uh...I’m waiting on someone.”

An eyebrow arched. Who could Naegi be waiting for? Fukawa had said she was going with Junko and Izuru, and Naegi would have messaged Ishimaru if he was waiting for mutt.

“Who are you waiting on?”

Naegi glanced away, and the cogs in Taka’s mind turned and turned until it finally clicked.

“...that Togami guy, right?”

Naegi’s small wince confirmed Ishimaru’s suspicions.

“Okay, for the record, he’s super cute and so smooth and he offered to hold the flowers I was carrying into the cafe while I handed Hajime the clipboard to sign and he invited me to the rave and he won’t be here for another ten minutes but he told me he might show up early just for me and that’s just so sweet of him and I just wanna get to know him better and hang out with him and he’s so sweet and bold and I just think he’s a really nice guy and - and - ”

“Hey, hey, chill. We ain’t judging. If he stands you up, find me and I’ll beat his ass,” Mondo said from behind Ishimaru, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

“That won’t be necessary, Mondo,” Naegi reassured, waving his hands around nervously. “He won’t stand me up, he’s sworn it on his company.”

“If you insist,” Ishimaru shrugged. “Well, Mondo, shall we go?”

“Yeah. Seeya later, Makoto.”

“Same to you, Mondo.”

With that, Mondo led Ishimaru into the building, where strobe lights flashed over dancing silhouettes and the smell of alcohol and bodies against bodies permeated the air.

It wasn’t exactly Ishimaru’s scene, but the feeling of nostalgia seeping into his skin like water being absorbed into parchment was a feeling he didn’t mind.

Near the middle of the booming crowd, he could hear someone cackling. He knew that voice…

“Syo,” he muttered under his breath as he noticed wild purple hair whipping about above the crowd as none other than Genocider Syo xyrself swung from the lights attached to the ceiling.

“Who the fuck is that?” Mondo asked, more incredulous than angry.

“That author that goes to the cafe with either Naegi and I or Junko and Izuru? That’s it,” Taka said, having to raise his voice above the loud music. “It’s her alter, Genocider Syo. Xyr and it.”

“Ah. Man, xyr’s really fuckin’ it up,” Mondo commented. “I’m gonna go get myself a drink, I’ll be right back.”

Ishimaru nodded, and the warmth at his side was gone. However, he didn’t really care once Junko spotted him and dragged him further into the crowd, soon roping him into dancing. 

He could relax and have some fun, couldn’t he?

❥

Mondo had lost track of whose cup he was drinking or how much alcohol was in it, but he did know that it was strong as twelve hells and he had downed the cup in record time. He had managed to recreate it with slightly blurring vision and was drinking it while his friends Leon and Yasuhiro, as well as Daiya, chanted for him to chug.

He noticed Daiya dragging Yasuhiro away to...somewhere, but he didn’t pay them much mind as he finished off his fifth cup of the night. His steps were starting to get wobbly as he dismissed Leon to go suck faces with that boy with the light pink hair in a bun, stumbling his way back to where he saw Ishimaru get pulled away.

Junko noticed him approaching and grinned.

“Ooh, who let the baby drink the naughty juice? If you’re looking for Taka, he’s over there,” it grinned sharply, pointing towards where Syo was swinging from the LED lights like they were vines. He nodded drowsily and gave a clumsy wave to Junko before stumbling over to where it had pointed.

He soon noticed that familiar head of wiry black hair connected to a dancing body, one that moved with a grace and energy that Mondo envied. The way Ishimaru’s body just...swayed like that had Mondo entranced, and Mondo could see the way sweat glistened along Ishimaru’s porcelain skin as he danced like drops of amber honey, and the barista was sober enough to note his growing urge to pull Ishimaru away from the crowd and into the bathroom, where they could kiss against the wall until their faces were blue and their lips were numb.

And, of course, the alcohol was pretty much already dumbfucking his mind, so he, of course, acted on those urges.

Just not as gracefully as he’d thought.

Stumbling up to Ishimaru, he placed a hand on mutts shoulder as gently as he could, and the teacher stopped moving to face him.

“Oh, hey, Mondo! Are you having fun?” he asked, brow quickly furrowing into worry once he noticed the state of Mondo’s entire demeanor and the smell of alcohol. “Mondo, did you get drunk?”

_ Did he get drunk because he didn’t want to spend any more time with me? _

“Mmh…” was the only response. “Hhhey, Ishi, have I ever toldja how fuckin’ pr’tty ya are?”

Ishimaru blinked as he pulled the two a little ways away from the crowd. He could hear Syo cackling louder than ever before about something, but he didn’t know what it was about.

“Mondo? Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“Fffuckin’ hell, Ishi, ‘m fine...just had a c’ple drinks that Leon gave me, nothin’ big…”

“Mondo, you’re drunk. You look like you’re going to pass out any minute now.”

“S’ what? D’nt care r’ght n’w...hehehh, hey, Ishi, yer eyes are like...rubies...nah, nah, rubies ‘re too dark...apples? Nah, ‘ts not very pleasing t’ hear...hmm…”

As Mondo mindlessly rambled, Ishimaru pulled him carefully into the corner, where they could talk without getting bumped by a dancing stranger every two seconds.

“Oh, got it!”

Ishimaru turned to Mondo at the sudden exclamation and tilted his head.

“Yer eyes are like wine! Yeah, like wine! Like a really, really sweet wine, so pr’tty ‘n mysterious ‘n addicting…’n yer smile is like...sunshine...and yer hair looks so soft ‘n pretty all the time...and yer always so brave ‘n kind ‘n shit...and yer just so...so great...heheh, that’s pretty corny though, huh…”

Now, Ishimaru knew better than to entertain the pointless ramblings of a drunk person, but the compliment has made his heart flutter up to the tip of his throat.

“No, not at all...anyone would like such praise…” he said quietly, just loud enough for Mondo to hear.

The way Mondo’s eyes lit up a beautiful amethyst was definitely worth it.

Ishimaru was more than ready to just get lost in those eyes once more, but he quickly snapped himself out of it and focused on the situation at hand.

How was Mondo even able to get drunk in such a short time because of whatever this friend had given him? Ishimaru assumed that this Leon was a friend of Mondo’s.

“Should we go back to my place? I’m sure I can take care of you there...and I’d hate to leave you here, I can’t in good conscience just do that...hmm, perhaps you could stay for the night...I’ll have to see if the guest room is properly furnished to your likin - ”

“St’p talkin’.”

“What?”

And in that moment, the only thing Ishimaru could register was a blur of hazy fogged bronze and brown and black darting towards him one moment, and in the next, he could feel chapped lips pressing against his very suddenly for the very first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. that happened
> 
> double update??? we are Kings
> 
> as always, comments are kudos are greatly appreciated!!
> 
> \- azalea and clover


	6. v.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things happen at the rave and at ishimaru's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chuckles im in danger

Through the fog of being drunk, Mondo felt like he was drifting on cloud nine.

The kiss was definitely messy. Their noses were pushing against each other and their teeth were clacking against each other as well, and it was open mouthed and heated and wet and so fucking intoxicating, and the taste of alcohol intermingling between the two’s lips only made the curling in his stomach that much tighter. The taste of butterscotch and pink peppercorn pricked at Mondo’s gums as he made no effort to pull away.

He’d expected his first kiss with a guy to be...softer, more chaste, and preferably when they weren’t at a loud rave while he was drunk.

But honestly, he would have indulged in the kiss either way.

It was hot and heavy and loud and passionate and so fucking sexy if Mondo was being honest, and it only became that much more substantial and real when he felt Ishimaru’s body align with his, hips to hips and chest to chest.

And when Ishimaru’s hair came up to tangle itself in Mondo’s hair, he felt like he could fucking explode on the spot.

Soon enough, they had to pull away for air, and both boys were dazed as all hell. Ishimaru was swaying a bit while Mondo’s head struggled to float back down to Earth.

“You...y - you kissed. Me. On the mouth. I. Wow,” Ishimaru stumbled over his words, eyes wide and mind trying to catch up with his actions. Under all the alcohol, Mondo had tasted like aloe sap and melted peppermint snow and steeped purple sweet pea and fuck, Ishimaru was absolutely addicted.

Mondo was still trying to comprehend what the hell had just happened when he heard it.

“...holy fuck.”

In all the time he’d known Ishimaru, the man had never cursed, not even over text. He claimed that he shouldn’t get into the habit because it could slip around the kids he taught and he would be a bad influence if he let that happen. So hearing Ishimaru curse was definitely new.

And fuck, if it wasn’t the hottest thing Mondo had ever heard.

So, thanks to the alcohol still pounding away in his system, he said nothing as he grabbed Ishimaru by the waist and pulled him into another painstakingly heavy kiss.

This one was hungry, desperate, full of need and want and just...primal desire in its raw. Mondo found himself quite easily falling back into the routine of completely and utterly devouring Ishimaru’s lips. He wanted to taste more, wanted to taste that candied lavender and chamomile and dried cloudberry, wanted to have the feeling and taste sparking across his tongue like summer lightning for the next week.

But, just like last time, Mondo and Ishimaru had needed to pull away for air, and so they did. Ishimaru’s soft pants and gasps against his chest and throat were like tangerine sunshine beating down on his skin, little dandelion puffs of air that ghosted over his skin.

“We...we just did that…” Ishimaru murmured, voice breathless, and Mondo determined that he had never heard as beautiful a sound as that. The way Ishimaru’s hands were still gripping a bit at Mondo’s hair made his insides turn into a shower of lightning bugs.

Then, all at once, a loud scream erupted from the crowd, and the orange fireflies in the corner of Ishimaru’s vision bloomed into a raging blaze as he turned to see golden flames licking at every inch of the ceiling, creeping down the walls like ivy. He could see Syo dangling upside down, legs wrapped firmly around the disco ball as xey cackled joyously at the destruction and panic it was causing. Ishimaru couldn’t exactly say he was surprised; Syo did have a tendency to cause mass destruction everywhere xey went, leaving nothing but a trail of ashes and xyr signature sharp scissors at the scene before police could arrive. Xey always managed to escape the scene before the police could find xem, and by some force of sheer luck, Naegi always escaped from its schemes unharmed.

But that didn’t mean he was enough of a fool to stick around for when the chaos got to be too much. Grabbing Mondo’s arm, he scooped him up in a bridal carry as quickly as he could and made a beeline for the door, hoping to any deity above that he could make it there before the flames demolished it. Dodging chunks of debris that fell from the ceiling upon the fire scorching the material, he made it outside and sighed a long exhale as he rushed to the motorcycle that Mondo had driven Taka on. From his peripherals, he could see the orange glow of the fire blooming behind him as he struggled to get Mondo to just sit down on the fucking motorcycle.

“Mondo, you have to get on, okay? Just sit tight,” he tried to say, but the smoke was starting to blow towards them, and his throat felt hoarse and dry.

“Mmh…” Mondo mumbled, nearly falling over for the thirtieth consecutive time.

“Mondo, if you get on the motorcycle and behave, I’ll give you another kiss when we get back to my place, okay?”

That shut Mondo up enough for Taka to get the helmet on him and get onto the motorcycle himself, revving her up and making sure Mondo’s arms were secure before driving away. He could hear the police sirens in the distance, but by the time they would arrive at the building, he had already taken Mondo into his house and locked the door.

Carrying Mondo in and setting him down on the couch, he quickly made his way to the kitchen to find his first aid kit for any injuries Mondo might have sustained, and also for painkillers and tea for the massive headache the barista was going to suffer in the morning.

Leaving Mondo to think long and hard about how  _ holy shit cute teacher can carry me without effort holy shit cute teacher that I kissed is ripped and so fucking strong holy shit I kissed that cute teacher than can carry me is this heaven have I ascended is this the peak of my life - _

“Mondo? Are you alright? Your face is red.”

Taka’s voice just barely shook him out of his stupor.

“Mmgh…’m fine…”

“Alright...I’m going to turn on the light, okay? It’s not very bright, but I’m still going to warn you in case.”

“Wh’t’ver.”

Ishimaru sighed before carefully dialing the notch for the light up to low, Mondo wincing slightly as his eyes tried to adjust. It wasn’t that bright, but still.

“Wait here, okay? I’m gonna make you some tea.”

Mondo only nodded, leaning his head back as he watched Ishimaru’s retreating figure from the corner of his vision until he couldn’t see him anymore.

A soft sigh as he closes his eyes, listening to the whistle of the kettle in the background. He just kissed the man who sparked his bi awakening. Out of nowhere. At a loud rave with a fuckton of people. While he was drunk.

God, he hoped he didn’t forget this.

But...at the same time, he had a small feeling Ishimaru would just pass it off as a drunken mistake, which it was most definitely not. However, if Ishimaru saw it as that, how would he react? Would he want it to be a drunken mistake, or would he have wanted it to be something else? And if he had wanted it to be a not - mistake, then what did  _ that _ mean?

“Here’s your tea, Mondo.”

A small clink on the coffee table before him, and Mondo glances up to see a rose colored tea in a pristine white teacup sitting before him.

“It’s brewed from dried orchid blossom, morning glory, honeydew nectar, and lotus petals. It’s like a hangover cure of sorts, it has never failed me or anyone who’s drank it. I know you should be taking it in the morning, but I honestly don’t expect you to want to stay that long, considering...what happened,” Ishimaru explained, glancing away and trailing off at the end. 

“Why wouldn’t I stay?” Mondo asked after picking up his cup. “I like havin’ ya around, Taks.”

Ishimaru flushed at the nickname, but cleared his throat.

“After...the thing with the...with the kiss...I would’ve assumed you didn’t want anything to do with me. Y’know, considering you didn’t really mean to…” he mumbled.

“Who says I didn’t mean ta kiss ya, Taks?”

As Ishimaru fumbled with his words, Mondo took a sip of the hangover cure. The taste and warmth of the brew smoothed the stressed crease between his eyebrows and cleared his mind enough to the point where he could speak coherently. It cleared his throat of the pains and dryness that he’d felt from the smoke from earlier, and he no longer felt woozy and greyed out.

He finished his tea easily and set the cup down, glancing at Ishimaru, who had been watching him silently. But now that they were looking at each other, Ishimaru’s gaze snapped away.

“W - well, now that you’re finished, I - I suppose I should escort you out,” he stammered nervously as he stepped back and reached for the coat hanging on the rack in the hallway. “I’ve already texted your brother, he’s coming to pick you up and - ”

“Wait. No,” Mondo quickly interrupted, causing Ishimaru to pause and glance back at him curiously. “Please...let me stay. With you.”

Ishimaru blinked, obviously confused at the request, but nodded after a bit of delegation.

“Okay.”

Mondo only smiled and patted the spot next to him on the couch, prompting Ishimaru to sit down next to him. They sat together in a comfortable silence before Mondo felt Ishimaru’s head lean slightly on his shoulder. His heart turned into a flurry of butterflies as he leaned lack against Ishimaru, the two balancing each other out as they sat in a quiet comfort, Mondo breaking it eventually.

“So, ya promised me a kiss if I got onto the ‘cycle, right?”

Ishimaru blinked, trying to figure out what the hell Mondo was talking about, then his cheeks flushed pink as raspberries, and if it wasn’t the cutest thing Mondo had ever seen.

“I - well, yes, but - ”

“Yer not gonna go back on yer promise, are ya?”

“Well, no, but - ”

Mondo sighed softly, placing a hand over Ishimaru’s.

“Look, you don’t hafta do it if you don’t wanna.”

Ishimaru frowned. He did want to, he just...he had no idea how to initiate.

“I…”

He couldn’t find any words. His throat felt slightly dry, and he had no idea what to do or say, mind blank.

“You good?”

Mondo’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and as he glanced up to the barista, he felt a small squeak tumble out of his lips as he glanced into Mondo’s eyes, the lavender filling his mind and making his head feel like it was floating underwater. His throat went dry as he tried to force words out of his mouth.

Hmm, mind empty, only Mondo’s lips and how soft they were pressing so harshly against his back at the rave…

“Taka? You okay - ”

Before Mondo could react, Ishimaru’s fingers had threaded into Mondo’s braid, and the teacher was pulling him in, and then there were soft cotton candy lips against his.

Mondo had no hesitation in reciprocating, hands resting on Ishimaru’s hips and pulling mutt in. The barista felt himself flush to the neckline of his shirt when he felt Ishimaru’s lips stretching into a smile against his. The sensation added with the warmth between the two and the taste of whitebark floss and mulberries from Ishimaru’s lips was making every muscle in Mondo’s body clench unconsciously and simultaneously, and his brain could only scream more, more, more. Despite the uncertainty boiling in his body, his mind knew that he had been waiting far too long for this moment to waste it by approaching with caution.

Shifting so Mondo could hover over Ishimaru, his hands travelled from the teacher’s waist to his arms, holding him down as he pulled away for a gasp of air. He could barely get another glance at Ishimaru before the latter pulled him down for another searing kiss, leaning against the somewhat firm support of the couch cushions. Mondo angled his face further to push past Ishimaru’s lips and into his warm mouth. Ishimaru tentatively extended his tongue to meet Mondo’s, and the former couldn’t help but chuckle at the teacher’s hesitation and not so obvious inexperience, although the taste of blackberries and candied lavender and honey was nothing for Mondo to laugh at; Taka’s taste was a drug, and he was a hopeless addict begging for more. Mondo bit down gently, and that caused a great shiver to rattle Ishimaru’s spine as he arched his body up to meet and align with Mondo’s, heart throbbing in time with the aching at the bottom of his stomach.

Mondo’s hands snaked from Ishimaru’s arms to his shoulders, trying to find the lacings of the shirt. It was only then that Ishimaru came down from the white-hot haze he’d been in before, head less full of cotton candy and more full of panic.

With all the strength he could find, he moved his arms up and gently pushed Mondo away with a pained noise from his throat, causing the barista to let out a noise of confusion, expression quickly turning into worry.

“Somethin’ wrong, Taka?”

There were tears quickly building up in Ishimaru’s eyes, stinging horribly as he tried to speak with a steady voice.

“I - I can’t. I can’t...I - I can’t do this. Not yet. N - not now.”

Mondo blinked. Ishimaru had been the one to initiate, so why was he suddenly backing away? Was he scared of Mondo? Did he simply want to lead Mondo on? Did he change his mind?

He figured he shouldn’t pry, but that didn’t mean it was any less awkward.

“Y - you can keep going...but...just, don’t take my shirt off, please…I trust you enough to know that you won’t...”

The barista nodded, still hesitant. He placed a soft kiss on Ishimaru’s lips, tongue tracing just barely over the latter’s bottom lips before he pulled away, mouthing lightly at Ishimaru’s jawline and neck. Ishimaru could definitely feel the underlying pleasure buzzing across his body like fireflies, but the feeling of being kissed there so...gently, so carefully, it was...new.

He was squirming slightly, fingers digging into the cushions and body anything but lax. Mondo definitely noticed this and slowed down a bit, taking his time and trying to get Ishimaru to relax.

“Somethin’ on yer mind?”

“...I haven’t done this in a while…”

“That’s alright. We’ll go at any pace that’s okay with you.”

Ishimaru nodded with a noise of gratefulness, and Mondo went back to leaving gentle kisses along the teacher’s skin, light as butterflies.

He moved his hands from the cushions beneath him to Mondo’s hair, trying not to grip it too hard to the point where it’d hurt him, but still have a pretty strong grasp on it.

Mondo gently pressed a kiss to the side of Ishimaru’s neck as he took the smaller man’s legs and put them around his hips, bringing him closer.

As the barista kissed at his neck gently, Ishimaru let out a mix between a moan and an exasperated sigh.

“G - God…” He tightened his grip on Mondo’s hair and sighed. Mondo let out a soft huff of laughter against Ishimaru’s skin and continued laying soft kisses down on the teacher’s neck.

“Ya holdin’ up okay?” the barista asked, stopping for a bit.

“Yea, I am,” Ishimaru nodded, a bit too eagerly.

“Just keep going,” he huffed. 

“Please.”

“If you say so…” Mondo said as he got back to work, pressing a kiss onto Ishimaru’s collarbone, leaving a bit of a mark.

The teacher was squirming slightly, the feeling not new to him, but that didn’t mean he found only pleasure in them. He trusted Mondo enough to not cross any lines or anything, but the way Mondo handled him so gently, so carefully, was completely foreign to all the other times he’d had to do this, and it terrified him.

_ What if I mess something up? What if I end up doing something he doesn’t like? Would he abandon me? He wouldn’t, would he? I don’t know him well enough to determine that...but he doesn’t know me well either, so why is he doing this so suddenly? Is he just wanting me for my body? And if that’s true, why am I accepting it? _

“Somethin’s on yer mind, Taka.”

The feeling of Mondo pulling away had his body somewhat relaxing, and he was torn between sighing in relief and pulling Mondo back just to feel that warmth again.

“Whatever it is, you can tell me. I wouldn’t judge you for something that makes you uncomfortable.”

Ishimaru frowned. He’d just ruined Mondo’s moment of pleasure because of his discomfort. He really didn’t deserve to vent after all that.

“...”

“Taks…”

“It’s nothing, Mondo. Just...lost in thought. How about we just...stay here for the night?”

“Okay.”

The softness and the lack of hesitation was a sentiment that warmed Ishimaru’s heart like candlelight. He leaned against Mondo and let himself go lax.

“Thank you, Mondo…”

“Don’t mention it.”

Ishimaru’s eyes fluttered shut, and he didn’t really bother getting up to wipe his makeup off before he fell asleep.

❥

Mondo woke up the next morning to, surprisingly, not as bad of a headache as he’d expected. He glanced around sleepily to find out that he was still in Ishimaru’s house, slumped on his couch.

“Mm…”

He glanced down at the noise to find Ishimaru still curled up on his chest, snoring softly. He smiled just a bit and was about to close his eyes again when he heard his phone buzz.

He checked the screen to find a lot of notifications.

_ [ ( 7:47 AM ) From ‘daidai’: ‘hey mon, hope u got out of the fire ok. taka texted me and told me to pick u up but i noticed u two sleeping together so i decided not to intrude. stay safe n use protection ;)’ ] _

_ [ ( 5:30 AM ) Alarm ] _

_ [ = Snooze = | - Dismiss - ] _

_ [ ( 2:29 AM ) From ‘makoto’: ‘hey make sure taka stays safe ok?’ ‘whenever ur awake text me so i know that taka’s ok’ ‘thx mondo’ ] _

_ [ ( 1:10 AM ) From ‘slap they ass like bongos’: ‘OH MY GOD??????’ ‘i guess you could say that was’ ‘lit asf’ ‘leon i swear to fucking god now is not the time’ ‘lmao ur ass just cant handle humor’ ‘leon your shirt literally caught on fire’ ‘lmao the way mondo was getting carried by that teacher’ ‘that guys a teacher?????????’ ‘uhhhh yh’ ‘oh i thought he was one of the strippers lmao’ ‘they didnt even have strippers there tf??’ ‘oh they didnt?’ ‘wtf no??? how drunk were u akane’ ‘not that drunk’ ‘you thought mondo’s boyfriend was a stripper’ ‘wait’ ‘THAT GUYWAS HIS BF????????’ ‘well they were kissing pretty hard in the corner’ ‘THEY FUCKIN WHAT??’ ‘MONDOW AS DOING WHAT WITH WHO’ ‘wait i just got back home why is everyone screaming’ ‘OH MY GOD MONDO GOT SOME LMAOOOOO’ ‘they did it while the place was being burnt down??? goals tf’ ‘stfu youd be lucky to even have a partner hiro’ ‘im literally dating the fucking manager shut your hole’ ‘manager get this mfin broke ass buh buh bitch out of my sight’ ‘hajime thats my partner leave them alone’ ‘ok’ ‘lmao that was quick’ ‘fucking simp’ ‘I AM NOT A SIMP FOR THE LAST TIME OH MY GOD’ ‘not a simp for daiya, but for one of our regulars ehehe’ ‘I DONT SIMP FOR KOMAEDA WHAT ARE YOU ON??’ ‘i never said it was komaeda ;)’ ‘OHHHH’ ‘YO CHIAKI ON X GAMES MF’ ‘SHUT UP CHIAKI I HAVE A REPUTATION’ ‘not anymore hehe’ “SHUT UR FUCKIONG MOUTH???????????>>?’ ‘lol’ ( 326 more messages … ) ] _

_ [ ( 12:08 AM ) From ‘that junk-o broad’: ‘hey mon’ ‘wake ur smelly ass up’ ‘BITCH GET UP’ ‘ik what happened with you and taka’ ‘WAKE UR ASS UP RN OR I STG’ ‘smh sleepy bitch’ ‘whatever’ ‘text me in the morning bc i know what you and taka did ;D’ ] _

_ [ ( 11:42 PM ) From ‘annoying ginger’: ‘dude oh my god’ ‘the black haired guy just scooped you up and carried you holy shit’ ‘dude he’s fuckin ripped oh my god’ ‘oi wake ur ass up’ ‘smh whatever’ ] _

He dismissed most of them, but one of them stuck with him.

The one from Junko, saying that he knew what had happened with him and Ishimaru.

He was...slowly freaking out. If Junko knew, he could absolutely trash Mondo’s rep and the rep of the entire cafe. Or he could ruin Ishimaru. Or both.

He must have not noticed he was panicking slightly, because Ishimaru had woken up and was asking what was wrong.

“...okay? Is everything alright, Mondo?”

“I…”

He knew he needed to talk to Daiya about this. Figure out what to do. Then confront Junko.

But he had no clue how to tell Ishimaru that he needed to leave.

Too bad he never knew how to act when he got nervous.

“I - I need to go. I’m sorry.”

Ishimaru blinked, getting off of Mondo with a confused look.

“Is - is this about last night? What we did?”

His voice held undertones of hurt and betrayal, and Mondo was quick to try and explain as he tidied his appearance up as best as he could.

“No, no, it’s not that, just - shit, I really have to leave. Important business. I’m sorry, Taks.”

Ishimaru’s eyes were unreadable, but the small glisten of hurt was reflected in the early morning sunlight. Even so, he kept his voice as steady and strong as he could, and the fact that his voice still quivered despite the effort sent little knives to Mondo’s heart.

“Okay. Goodbye then.”

A nod. And without another word, Mondo pocketed his phone, grabbed his coat, and left.

Leaving Ishimaru to crumble into a ball and let out a great, heaving sob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( a ) *screaming and crying in pain as i type the final lines* *sobbing heavily* WHY DO PPL THINK ITS FUN TO TORTURE THE READERS ITS EVEN WORSE FOR THE AUTHOR *cries and bangs my fists on the table*
> 
> ( c ) sorry 2 end it with sm angst woof woof jk i am Not sorry
> 
> as always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!!
> 
> \- azalea and clover


	7. vi.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mondo fucks up and ishimaru gets invited to be comforted by an unlikely party.

Mondo had rushed home in record time, bursting the door open and trying to find where the hell Daiya was after he changed in a speed that would have put any runner to shame. Calling his brother’s name, Mondo rushed around the house, panicked. He had seen Daiya’s car and motorcycle in the garage when he’d entered, so he knew the chances of his brother being home were high.

Soon enough, he found Daiya in the attic, working on something. The older brother had quickly dropped what he was doing as soon as he saw Mondo and the look in his eyes.

“Mon? What’s wrong, did something happen? Was it because of Taka?”

“Yes...and no. It concerns Junko more than anything else.”

“What is it?”

They had filed into the living room at this point, sitting beside each other on the couch.

“Junko, he...he knows what Taka and I were doin’ last night. He saw us makin’ out at the rave. Who knows what he’ll do?! Dai, he could ruin me, ruin Taka, ruin the cafe. Ruin you. What the fuck am I s’posed to do?!”

“Hey, whoa, calm down. You should confront him, make sure he hasn’t done anything yet and won’t do anything with it, okay? If he hasn’t done anything, then yer fine. If he has, though...pull an Owada. Got it?”

Mondo nodded quickly, getting up and grabbing his jacket after a few more reassurances from Daiya. 

He knew exactly where Junko would be today at this time.

❥

“...and then I was like, if you’re gonna wear such a fugly sweater, at least have the decency to pair it with something other than those utterly hideous jeans! Like, this isn’t the 80s, babe! Have some decency - ”

Junko cut himself off from where he was rambling to Leon, who was busy etching another one of those little bears onto its shoulder when the door to the private room slammed open to reveal one Mondo Owada.

“Oh, heeeey, Owada~” Junko snarked, waving with his signature catty grin until Mondo stormed up to it, eyes blazing with the anger of someone who was ready to fucking murder.

“Cut the shit, Enoshima,” he growled, voice angry, but with the hoarseness of someone who had been crying.

“Aww, you didn’t miss me? Shame, considering that I...know what…”

Junko slowly trailed off as it noticed that Mondo looked genuinely pissed, hands twitching near his pockets. The icon’s mind helpfully supplied the fact that he knew Mondo carried around a pocket knife and could easily overpower it.

“Dude...are you, like...good?”

That was definitely not the right thing to say.

“Am I good?  _ AM I FUCKING GOOD? _ ”

A fist slammed mere centimeters away from Junko’s throat, causing Leon to quickly pull away and set down the tattoo gun, watching with poorly concealed interest.

“LIKE FUCK I’M NOT! YOU’RE FUCKIN’ BLACKMAILING TAKA AND I AND IT’S CLEARLY NOT FUCKIN’ OKAY! YOU’RE A FUCKIN’ FREAK WHO DECIDED TO FUCKIN’ MEDDLE IN OUR PERSONAL FUCKIN’ LIVES, AND IF YOU FUCKIN’ THINK YOU’LL GET AWAY WITH THIS, GET READY TO HAVE ANOTHER FUCKIN’ THING COMIN’, CUZ I’LL BASH IN YER FUCKIN’ THROAT WITH MY BARE FUCKIN’ KNUCKLES!”

Something about the way Mondo’s eyes blazed with an indescribable fury told Junko that he wasn’t joking this time.

Junko hadn’t done anything with the info yet, that was a truth that he could prove.

“I haven’t done anything with it, Owada. I honestly don’t give a shit about who you swap spit with or who’s dragging you into bed,” Junko deadpanned with a cackle.

“And you fuckin’ expect me to believe that shit?” Mondo growled angrily, fingers twitching with the urge to grab Junko’s neck and show him the downside of getting your neck snapped.

“I swear, I haven’t done anything! Scour through my social medias all you fucking want, there’s nothing I’ve done! I don’t care about what you do in your personal life anyway,” Junko laughed.

“Relax, big guy. And hey, even if I did, what harm would that do to you? I mean, sure, I can find some way to fuck you up, but even if I did, I wouldn’t.” Junko checked its nails and then looked at the barista again.

“You don’t know me as well as you think you do. I’m not that heartless,” he remarked with a grin.

“Tch, all the times I’ve talked with you can say otherwise,” Mondo rolled his eyes. He was noticeably less angry, but he still looked just about ready to snap Junko’s entire body in half with his bare hands.

“You wanna go cry to your boyfriend so bad it makes you look stupid,” Junko remarked with a snarky smile, filing his nails with an ice pick while somehow remaining still enough for Leon to continue the tattoo. “I can tell you’re almost breaking down in front of me.”

“Shut your fucking mouth, I am  _ not _ ,” Mondo growled, just about ready to tear Junko’s stupid fucking pigtails off with his bare hands and strangle it with them, dumb fucking bear clips and everything.

“Sure you are,” the shorter boy giggled. “C’mon, just shed a tear already. I’m getting bored of having to back-and-forth with you.” 

“Or, if you’re really brave,” Junko said, pointing the ice pick at him. “C’mon, do it.”

“Throw a punch. I dare you.”

❥

Ishimaru was...not in a good mindset at the moment.

Constantly switching between relapsing through a million reasons why Mondo would have just up and left so suddenly to crying into a pillow because of his lack of self worth kicking in again, his mind was not having a fun time.

Now here he was, sitting on the roof, holding a pillow close to his chest and letting the cold air sting at his bare skin. The only things he’d brought with him were a music player, his earbuds, and a pair of scissors.

The music player was blasting loud music through his earbuds, in the hopes that they could somehow drown out his thoughts. The pillow - that specific pillow in question - was one of his comfort items and he didn’t want to let go of it for anything at the moment. 

And the scissors…

Considering his mindset at the moment, it was safe to assume what they were for.

_ ‘I guess we don't even need to use the phone _

_ I don't need your answer, I'll be spending it alone’ _

He...forgot he had his phone with him. It was buzzing rapidly without fail, and it wasn’t showing any signs of stopping.

Sighing, he risked one glance at the screen.

_ [ ( 11:42 AM ) From ‘Togami’: ‘Do you...want to come over?’ ‘Makoto told me you haven’t been responding to any of his texts.’ ‘If you feel uncomfortable with coming over, then I understand, but I just thought you might want someone to be there with you if you’re upset.’ ] _

_ [ ( 10:34 AM ) From ‘Makoto! 🌣’: ‘hey taks u ok??’ ‘i saw mondo leaving ur house super fast earlier’ ‘r u ok???’ ‘taka ur scaring me’ ‘pls be ok taka’ ‘ily’ ] _

_ [ ( 10:17 AM ) From ‘Toko! 🖉’: ‘ttaka are yyou okkkay?’ ‘makkoto tolld me sommethinnng happpenned with yyou and mmondo’ ‘ttext me whhen you cann’ ] _

_ [ ( 10:05 AM ) From ‘Best Friend Squad! ✰’: ‘hhhey did sommething happen witth taka’ ‘yea’ ‘i think mondo’s involved too somehow but idk’ ‘jjjunkko tolld me abbbout it’ ‘tell in dms’ ‘okk’ ] _

The last three were understandable and he responded to them, telling them that he was fine, and they quickly responded with mild suspicion, but mostly relief that he was talking to them.

He reassured them that he’d be fine and opened up Togami’s text.

🖂 _ | Ishimaru, Kiyotaka → Togami, Byakuya _

_ ⮚ Hello, Togami. If I’m being quite honest, I would appreciate having someone. I don’t think Makoto or Toko could comfort me at the moment...they’d just threaten Mondo, and that’s not what I need. Is it possible that I could take you up on your request? _

Togami responded almost immediately, which brought a pleasant warmth to Ishimaru’s heart.

_ ⮘ Of course. Would you like me to pick up anything for you that would make your visit more pleasant? _

_ ⮚ Dark chocolate would be nice, I suppose. Perhaps tea if you have it available? Peppermint tea, preferably. _

_ ⮘ Right away. Go to the address below and bring any comfort items you wish.  _

_ [ Address embedded. Send directions to your phone? ] _

_ [ = Yes = | - No - ] _

_ ⮚ Thank you, Togami. _

_ ⮘ Of course. _

Ishimaru set his phone down and grabbed all of his things before sliding back into the trapdoor on the roof of his bedroom and getting changed. While deciding what to bring for comforts, his fingers grazed over the scissors he’d placed on the desk. They were small enough to conceal, and he was wearing a sweater anyway...Togami would never notice if he was careful…

He shook his head, moving his fingers away. He couldn’t. Not again. Not after he’d work so hard to stay away.

Bringing only his pillow and his phone with him, he headed to his car and drove to the address provided.

There was no doubt that his eyes stung with tears once or more on the road. But there was no one around to prove that either.

❥

“I knew you were too much of a pussy to do it.”

Junko was pretty much oozing confidence at the moment, legs crossed and catty grin evident as always as he glanced at the raised fist a few inches from his face.

Mondo’s hand soon slumped back to his side. He knew he didn’t want to hurt Junko, but the urge had been there, and he’d nearly acted on it. 

“Shut yer fuckin’ mouth.”

“Should’ve made me when you had the chance! But you didn’t, cuz you’re just a little bitch,” Junko cackled as it stood up, a fresh bandage slapped on his shoulder. He turned to Leon, “Thanks, Lee. Seeya.”

Leon did a two finger salute as Junko strutted out of the tattoo parlor, slamming the door behind him with a cackle. 

The redhead whistled as he put the tattoo gun down. “Wow, I really thought you were going to punch him in its face right here in the parlor. Surprised you didn’t have the guts to.” He smiled mockingly at the taller man as he slid his gloves off and sprayed the freshener in them.

“Look, just ‘cuz I didn’t have the guts to put Junko in its place, doesn’t mean I’ll do the same for you,” Mondo growled in response, voice still terse from the altercation with the bitchy blonde.

“Jeez, Mon, calm down,” Leon replied, the mocking tone in his voice gone, now replaced with what Mondo could tell was...fear? A mix of fear, disdain, and a bit of mockery, definitely.

“Ugh...s’rry, I guess,” the barista looked away, his face flushing slightly. 

“Eh, it’s whatever,” Leon shrugged, a smile soon creeping into his face.

“My shift is almost over,” he said, taking his phone from his pocket and checking the time.

“Wanna go grab a bite at Teru’s? I’ll do you a favor and pay for you,” he asked, pocketing his phone again.

“Huh?”

“Something obviously happened between you and that Taka guy. I’m just offering to help you get your mind off of it,” Leon shrugged.

“If this is some trick to get into my pants like in high school, I swear to God - ”

“Dude, chill, it’s not,” Leon laughed. “Dontcha remember? I’m aroace. I don’t want that messy relationship shit. Like, ever.”

“Shit, ‘forgot. Sorry.”

“It’s whatever. Now, you wanna get going?”

“Sure. Whatever. I need a break anyway.”

“Dope. Lemme just pack up my stuff and I’ll head out. In the meantime, your phone’s been buzzing like crazy. Might wanna check it.”

“O...kay?”

As Leon headed into the back room to pack up his things, Mondo opened his phone to reveal a whole screen and a half of text message notifications.

_ [ ( 1:42 PM ) From ‘makoto’: ‘MONDO WHAT DID YOU DO’ ‘IVE BEEN TEXTING TAKA AND HES BEEN CRYING’ ‘HE SAID YOU TWO ARENT TALKING ANYMORE’ ‘WHAT DID YOU DO’ ‘ANSWER ME OR I SWEAR TO GOD’ ] _

_ [ ( 1:17 PM ) From ‘toko’: ‘heeeeeeeeey wada wada !!!1!!11!!!’ ‘okay look i have like noooo idea who you are, like, at allllll’ ‘but i swear to god if you hurt taka i will make your life a living hell on earth’ ‘mk thats all i wanted to say byeeeeeeeeeeee’ ] _

_ [ ( 12:42 PM ) From ‘orange juice fetish’: ‘mondo what happened with you and taka’ ‘seriously what the hell happened’ ‘makoto’s been telling me he’s been crying’ ‘what the fuck happened’ ‘i swear to god mondo’ ‘just’ ‘text me back when you can’ ] _

_ [ ( 12:37 PM ) From ‘slap they ass like bongos’: ‘ayo wtf happened w mondo’ ‘idk but i think the taka guy has smt to do w it’ ‘god fucking dammit what happened now’ ‘shut the fuck up hajime’ ‘we have a problem rn we dont have time for ur pissbaby attitude’ ‘ok mom’ ‘its comments like those that have been slowly turning me gay’ ‘sjjshd shut up akane’ ‘lol’ ‘um anyways wtf happened w taka n mondo’ ‘idk but makoto told me that takas been crying’ ‘holy shit???’ ‘yeah’ ‘the one useful thing hajime has ever said’ ‘shut your fucking mouth chiaki’ ‘lol’ ( 673 other messages … ) ] _

_ [ ( 12:19 PM ) From ‘the stuck up blond one’: ‘Please do not try and contact Kiyotaka at the moment. He’s currently going through some things and would appreciate some space.’ ] _

_ [ ( 12:01 PM ) ] From ‘taka 🎔’: ‘im sorry’ ‘im so sorry mondo’ ‘idk what i did but im sorry if i hurt you’ ‘please dont be mad at me’ ‘well actually you have every right to be mad at me i shldnt say that’ ‘just pls dont hurt me’ ‘actually you can if it makes you feel better’ ‘ugh’ ‘jjust. tell me what i did wrong’ ‘wait actualy dont’ ‘i dont wanna know’ ‘just.’ ‘...’ ‘,.’ ‘.. ,’ ‘pls dont talk to me rn.’ ‘i messed uo and i dont think i can redeem myself if ur this mad’ ‘im sorry’ ‘ill stop pesering u now’ ‘ims so sorry., bbye’ ] _

That last one hit the wrong way. Ignoring Togami’s message, he opened up Ishimaru’s contact and quickly replied.

Well, tried to.

🖂 _ | Owada, Mondo → Ishimaru, Kiyotaka _

_ ⮚ oh my god taka i’m so sorry _

_ ⟲ Failed to deliver. _

_ ⮚ taka?? _

_ ⟲ Failed to deliver. _

_ ⮚ taka please _

_ ⟲ Failed to deliver. _

_ 【 We’re sorry, this number is not available to you. Please try again and contact support if you think this is a mistake. 】 _

Ishimaru blocked him.

Ishimaru fucking  _ blocked _ him.

“Hey, Mon, you ready to go? Mondo?” Leon called out to him, though the other couldn’t hear him over the ringing in his ears. “Hey, Mondo, are you - ”

“I fucked up.”

“You fucked up...how exactly?”

“Taka’s got me blocked. Right after he sent a bunch of messages apologizing. Who knows what he’ll do?”

Leon was chewing on his lip nervously. “Shit, dude...I’m so sorry...does he have an alternate number? Did his friends block you?”

Mondo quickly opened up Naegi and Fukawa’s contacts, trying to ignore the cold lightheadedness settling under his scalp.

🖂 |  _ Owada, Mondo → Fukawa, Toko _

_ ⮚ toko i need your help _

_ ⟲ Failed to deliver. _

_ ⮚ toko please _

_ ⟲ Failed to deliver. _

_ 【 We’re sorry, this number is not available to you. Please try again and contact support if you think this is a mistake. 】 _

“Fuck, Toko’s got me blocked already,” Mondo muttered, wringing a hand nervously through his hair.

“Try Naegi.”

🖂 |  _ Owada, Mondo → Naegi, Makoto _

_ ⮚ naegi please i need your help _

_ ⮚ i know i fucked up just please help me fix it _

_ ⮘ listen here you don’t get to talk after causing kiyo to nearly relapse _

_ ⮘ he’s been tearing himself apart because of it _

_ ⮘ don’t talk to me or him or any of us again _

_ ⮚ naegi _

_ ⟲ Failed to deliver. _

_ 【 We’re sorry, but this number is not available to you. Please try again and contact support if you think this is a mistake. 】 _

“Fuck, Makoto just blocked me.”

“Shit. Any other people you can try?”

“I don’t think so. Not without causing a lot of panic.”

“Fuck.”

“Shit...what the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Well, it’d be rude to follow Ishi’s location, but it’s a possibility if you’re desperate.”

“No, he’d only be uncomfortable.”

The fact that Ishimaru would be uncomfortable around Mondo made his stomach hurt painfully.

“Shit...I don’t know. I don’t get into messy relationship shit.”

Mondo hated the fact that he found himself wishing he hadn’t either.

He sighed.

“It’s whatever. Let’s just go.”

Leon nodded. “Well, if you say so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( a ) ew my part of the end was so rushed blech ,, but yea angst >:) *cries into a pillow* also NOBODY GIVE KUDOS WE'RE AT 69 DO NOT GIVE KUDOS OMG
> 
> ( c ) we are so evil. we thrive off of suffering and pain *starts bawling because i cant fucking do this anymore i just want them 2 be happy but no they must suffer*
> 
> as always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!!!
> 
> \- azalea and clover <3


	8. vii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ishimaru and mondo talk again. it...doesn't go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning this is the chapter where the heavy shit comes in so please be warned
> 
> tw / alcohol abuse, detailed description of being drunk, unintentional self harm

As surprising as it was, Togami was actually a very good person to go to if you wanted comfort.

He had put up with Ishimaru’s multiple breakdowns and wrapped the teacher up in warm weighted blankets, gently pushing a cup of warm peppermint locus tea into Ishimaru’s hands. A small box of dark chocolate truffles sat next to the teacher, three pieces missing.

Ishimaru had taken but a few sips of the tea, the pillow rested comfortably in his lap as he spoke quietly to Togami. They had decided to direct the conversation away from anything about Mondo or the cafe or any of that, instead choosing to discuss hyperfixations.

They had more in common than they had originally thought. They both hyperfixated on certain pens that they owned ( they had shown each other said pens and, needless to say, were both highly intrigued ). Their comfort beverages were tea ( Ishimaru’s was peppermint and any of his personal brews, and Togami’s was earl grey ).

Togami especially hyperfixated on flowers, most of all camellias, which explained the many flower pots surrounding the interior of his room. He also hyperfixated on scented candles and books, which Ishimaru could heavily relate to.

All in all, they were having a pleasant time together, and Ishimaru felt a small smile, albeit weak, creep onto his face.

“So tell me more. How is it that you managed to become hyperfixated on butterflies of all insects? It sounds like a very interesting story,” Togami smiled as he sipped his tea.

“Well, that story is actually quite interesting. You see - ”

A knock on the door. Then someone’s voice.

“Oi oi, open up, bottle blonde! The life of the party is heeere!” a voice called from outside Togami’s front door. Ishimaru turned to Togami, confused. The blonde in question sighed.

“I completely forgot. I lost a bet to Leon and he told me to let him host a party at my house since I lost. I’m so sorry, Kiyotaka, it completely slipped my mind,” he apologized, pushing up his glasses. “If it’s alright with you, you could stay in here for the time being until I can come back up? I know you probably would appreciate having some space to yourself right now...but if you need anything, just holler and I’ll be right there. Tell me about the butterflies later.”

“That’s okay! I think I could use some alone time. No offense to you at all! I just...need some time to think...and of course,” Ishimaru smiled. Togami nodded with a smile and stood, exiting the room and shutting the door.

Now alone with his thoughts, Ishimaru pulled the blankets around his figure and sighed softly. He’d been able to talk through a lot of his feelings with Togami, and the conversation had been surprisingly open and trusting. He felt rather...enlightened by the conversation.

But no matter how hard he tried, his mind kept straying to the barista. He knew Mondo had done wrong, but he couldn’t help but think that it was  _ his _ fault that Mondo acted that way. He must have done something to provoke Mondo, right? He was more in the wrong than Mondo then.

But that didn’t mean that what Mondo did was inexcusable. It had hurt him, truly. His heart ached at the thought of Mondo leaving so suddenly, and it filled him with an indescribable myriad of anger, sadness, hurt, betrayal, and frustration.

His chest ached with a feeling that Ishimaru absolutely hated, and his stomach felt like he was going through period cramps all over again, which he absolutely despised. His eyes stung with tears that he couldn’t force out, and the feeling left an empty sort of feeling settling at the bottom of his stomach that made his head and vision spin.

He hated feeling like this. His entire body shook with a tremble that he couldn’t force away. He curled in on himself and, carefully setting the chocolates and the tea onto the bedside table, he curled up onto his side and closed his eyes as music played in his ears.

_ ‘I’ve got boulders on my shoulders, collarbones begin to crack _

_ There is very little left of me and it’s never coming back’ _

Ishimaru hated how much those lyrics stung once he crossed them with his situation.

🎔

He didn’t know how long he was asleep or when he woke up, but when he did, he could feel the rumble of bass under his body, and he could faintly hear loud pop music over the sound of his earbuds.

_ ‘I'll never go, I'll haunt your studio _

_ You won't think of words when you write at all _

_ You'll just hear me singing this song _

_ You'll think that's okay, you'll just sing along’ _

He pulled out his earbud and paused his music to try and see what was going on. He could faintly see the flashing glow of strobe lights outside the crack in the door, which illuminated the dark room ( it was already night time? ), and the smell of alcohol was very pungent despite the presence of scented candles and flowers in Togami’s room.

His mind felt...fuzzy, and his brain began to slow, even as he tried to blink the drowsiness out of his vision. Although it went very heavily against his moral code, he had no work tomorrow, and the thought of drowning his problems in liquid courage and just...forgetting about the heaviness in his chest was an idea that definitely tempted him.

So, with a swing of his legs and a couple stretches to get the after - nap stiffness out of his body, he smoothed out his clothes as best as he could and slid out of the room, walking quietly downstairs to where the music was blasting loudly. He was able to slip past the crowds of people unnoticed and headed to the table where the smell of alcohol burned his nose.

Quickly grabbing the first two bottles his fingers touched when he reached out, he headed back to the stairs, but frowned once he saw Hajime and Komaeda there, seemingly just chatting. He could smell marijuana from the direction of the two, but he brushed it aside as he looked around to find the bathroom vacant. Slipping into the room, he closed the door and sat down on the edge of the tub, setting one bottle down next to his feet and uncapping the bottle with the half peeled off label. He couldn’t tell what it was, but by the smell of it, it was some weird convoluted mix of ginger iced tea, blue curacao syrup, and tequila. He could smell the Cazcabel from the obviously reused glass bottle that stung his nose, but despite that, he took a small sip.

It was...surprisingly not all that bad. It was a bit sweet and definitely poorly mixed together, but he found himself taking another sip. He plugged his earbuds back in and put his playlist on shuffle as he continued to drink from the weird scented bottle.

_ ‘I want blood, guts, and chocolate cake _

_ I wanna be a real fake’ _

By the time the song switched, his vision was beginning to blur, and he was at the last few sips of the bottle, which he finished in no time despite the glass feeling heavier and heavier with each breath he took. His grip on the bottle was getting slipperier with every second that passed. But the bottle was empty now anyway, so he set it down, and he didn’t exactly register that he’d dropped it until he heard the shatter and glanced down to see shards of broken jagged glass at his feet. He ignored it for the time being and reached for the other bottle he’d brought.

This one smelled like candied lime and mandarin basil, and the smell was rather pleasant to his alcohol - addled mind. It smelled like the lucky tea he used to brew and pack in a thermos before exams back in lycee, but...cold.

So, like anyone would do, he twisted the cap, flicked it off, and brought the rim to his lips, taking a good long drink and letting the taste burn at his throat. The burn was enough to distract him, and it tickled a bit, and he found himself giggling and nearly falling into the tub. He slipped onto the floor and felt some sort of burn on his bare thighs ( when did he get into shorts again? ), and he couldn’t help but laugh at the unfamiliar feeling, raising his thigh and pressing it back down to the floor, feeling that oddly familiar burn again. He repeated the action as his vision swayed, the lights flickering as he tried to focus his vision, but after a while, he just gave up on the feat and took another long drink of the alcohol. He could assume that the drink was a poorly mixed gimlet, or at least a poor attempt at one. A smile as he continued to drink, the white lights and the beige walls and all the other colors in the room soon blending into a weird spotty mosaic of colors. He reached up to wipe his mouth and felt something warm on the back of his hand that wasn’t alcohol or anything else. He glanced down at his hand to find tears and blood mixed together in some sort of twisted paint that covered his lips and cheeks. So that was what the coppery taste was. He  _ knew _ it wasn’t the Patron.

He assumed that the bleeding was from either his nose or his gums, seeing as he had drank quite a bit. None of his teeth were out of place, and his mouth wasn’t aching at all, so he assumed it was probably just from the alcohol.

He was now painfully aware of the minor blood and tears dripping down his cheeks and chin and splattering onto his shirt, most likely leaving stains. But he continued to drink anyway, and he was blissfully unaware of the glass shards from earlier digging into the back of his thighs and his hips.

He was about to set the bottle down to catch his breath when the door suddenly swung open, and someone burst into the bathroom. Ishimaru could faintly make out a familiar head of half bleached hair that he did  _ not _ want to see, and upon registering those same lavender eyes that had caused him to drink in the first place, he frowned just a bit and turned, giggling again when he felt that same burn in his thighs that had brought him some form of relief.

But the relief quickly went away when he faintly realized that he’d have to confront one Mondo Owada.

“Oh my god, Taka, what have you been drinking?!” Mondo was frowning as he yanked the bottle from the drunk teacher and set it down on the marble counter. “God, I thought I knew you…”

Ishimaru did not register those words, instead mumbling loud enough for Mondo to hear. “Oh great, it’s you. The last person I wanna see right now.”

Mondo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Ishimaru, who only huffed and shifted, if only to feel that warm buzz in his thighs.

“Look, I know yer pissed, but this ain’t the fuckin’ time.”

Despite his calm voice, Ishimaru only got angrier, more tears rolling down his cheeks and mixing sloppily with the blood running down his chin from his lips.

“Then when is the right time, Mondo?! I’m sick of you always being on and off with me all the time, sending mixed signals left and right, and I don’t want this kind of crap if you’re not going to be honest with me!” he snapped, fingers digging into the skin of his thighs as he glared daggers at the barista, who was trying his best to tide Ishimaru down.

“Look, Taka, if you would just calm down and let me explain - ”

“I did let you explain multiple times! I tried to get you to explain when you suddenly left earlier this morning, I sent you a million messages and you never replied with any form of explanation, I’ve given you many chances before and now. I let you into my life thinking you would be a positive influence on me, but clearly, I was wrong,” the teacher snarled, with a glare so sharp it seemed to pierce Mondo right between the eyes.

However, the barista was getting angry now, and he wasn’t about to let some drunk teacher yell at him.

“You’re so fucking selfish, you know that?! You’ve only ever cared about yourself! You’re only here so you can drag me around in your failures and pin the blame on me when something goes wrong!”

At this, Ishimaru bristled, and the tears rolling down his cheeks multiplied tenfold. Mondo felt a pang of guilt, but before he could control what he was saying, he found himself spitting out, “Aww, is poor little Ishimaru gonna cry? You gonna cry because your weak ass can’t handle the fact that you’re not fucking good enough? You are nothing but a manipulative fucking failure, Ishimaru.”

Ishimaru only laughed bitterly, gripping at the flesh of his thighs.

“You’re right, I am a fucking failure, huh?! Why don’t you shout it out, write it on a billboard and broadcast it for everyone to hear?! Spit it in my face, why don’t you?! I can assume you would have no qualms over it because you never cared about me in the first place!” he snapped angrily, tears creating a small puddle on the floor and dripping down the shards of broken glass.

“Of course I cared about you! I was probably the only one who actually gave a shit about you in the first place, but it seems like you never gave a shit about me, so why should I care about you anymore?! You know what? You’re probably just jealous that I actually have a social fucking life outside of you,” Mondo crossed his arms, glaring down angrily at the vulnerable man, who wasn’t saying anything. Good. He didn’t deserve to speak.

“...jealous?”

Mondo only stared at him as his eyes grew wide, lips stretching into a maniacal grin as he tried to process the word that he’d just been called.

“Jealous?!”

He began to cackle, as if the idea was a hilarious joke. The laugh held no humor, only a bittersweet anger that Mondo felt deep in his core.

“You are absolutely, positively nothing to me!”

The yell was accompanied with a sharp and twisted grin.

“You are nothing to me, Mondo Owada. You...are nothing. You...are  _ shit _ .”

The last word was spat out harshly as he glared at the barista, who was watching him with weary yet mad eyes.

“And you wanna know what the sad part is?” Ishimaru laughed, the sound teary and yet somehow not at all forced. “I loved you. Truly. I feel like even if it weren’t for your fucking arrogance, we could have been closer. And I hate the fact that I know I still love you, somewhere in here. So let me cut you off. I needed you, and you weren’t there. I regret ever loving you. You absolutely broke me, and I don’t want to see you come back if you decide to leave.”

Mondo could only muster a small, “Taka, please talk to me…”

“I don’t want to talk to you. Get out of here. Just leave. Please.”

And as Mondo stepped out of the room, hand on the doorknob, he muttered one final thing to Ishimaru.

“I hope you burn in hell, for all I care.”

And he was gone, slamming the door behind him. He was rushing out the door now, tears stinging his eyes as he felt the breeze hit his face as he climbed onto his motorcycle and, kicking up the stand, drove off, wiping at his eyes haphazardly to clear his vision as he drove.

He arrived home soon enough and found himself throwing himself into his bed as soon as he made it into his bedroom, letting his makeup and tears stain the pillow as he cried. He knew it was rather pathetic of him to cry, but he really needed this right now. Daiya had definitely heard the sound, because a few moments later, Mondo felt a comforting hand on his back.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready. I’m assuming this is about him?”

“Y’h.”

The noise was muffled due to Mondo’s face being buried in the pillow, and when he lifted his face up, his eyes were bloodshot and his face was streaked with grainy mascara tears.

They sat in silence for a good moment, no words being exchanged between the two before Daiya commented, “Hey, your phone’s been buzzing like crazy.”

“Ugh…”

“I can check it if you want.”

“Please.”

He felt Daiya’s hand slip into the pocket of his hoodie and pull out his phone, then a couple of hums as he read what was in the notifications. All of the sudden, Daiya went quiet. Mondo waited for a few moments for him to say something, but no words were spoken.

“What’s goin’ on?”

“It’s Taka again. He’s in the hospital. Makoto’s texting you nonstop about it, same with Junko and Toko and Hajime and pretty much everyone at the cafe. Saying he got seriously injured and was being taken into intensive care.”

Mondo’s blood ran cold, and he quickly sat up despite the growing dizziness in his head.

“Lemme see. Now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( a ) *incoherent crying* *head banging on table* *loud wailing* *an explosion* *heavy sobbing*
> 
> ( c ) pain and suffering :thumbs_up_emoji:
> 
> as always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!!
> 
> \- azalea and clover


	9. viii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> naegi and junko talk, and naegi has a realization.

Naegi was...trying to cope.

He’d been lingering near the kitchen counter with Fukawa and Asahina when he saw Mondo running from the bathroom with an upset expression. He’d gotten suspicious, but when he went to check what was in the bathroom with Fukawa, he had heard a sickening crack from inside just as his fingers brushed the doorknob. Exchanging a weary glance with Fukawa, he opened the door, and his blood ran cold as ice at the sight before him.

Ishimaru was slumped on the ground, head actively bleeding at an alarming rate as bits of broken glass dug into the skin of his thighs and hips. There was a...very scary amount of blood pouring from the left side of his head, dripping over his eye and onto his neck and the floor. There was a smudge of bright pink blood on the corner of the counter, where a half empty bottle of some light green cocktail was sitting. 

Naegi could see his chest rising and falling just slightly, and before he could check Ishimaru’s pulse and call an ambulance, Fukawa screamed loudly as she dropped to the floor in a faint.

That had alerted most everyone at the party to run over to the sound, panicked and shocked at what they saw. While they panicked, Naegi managed to dial 119 and tell them what happened in a hoarse and weak voice. He was trembling at this point, horrified at the sight of his best friend so injured and not even conscious. His heartbeat echoed in his ears loudly as he faintly noticed the glow of blue and red sirens outside. Fukawa had woken up and was hiding her face in Naegi’s chest to avoid looking at Ishimaru’s bloodied body as they wheeled him out. And as he held her close, he felt like he was gripping onto a lifeline.

The drive to the hospital was...tense, to say the least.

Naegi couldn’t feel anything but sheer terror, the prospect of how bad Taka had actually been hurt being something he wasn’t sure he was looking forward to knowing.

And when the doctors forced him and Ishimaru to part so he could be cared for, Naegi, even if very reluctantly, agreed, leaving him by himself to think as he paced back and forth.

What...the hell.

Had Naegi’s thoughts not been clouded by anxiety right now, he’d have regretted not bringing his phone, which he’d left at Byakuya’s house.

What would he do if he had to call someone? He could ask one of the people working at the hospital for their phone, but that’d be embarrassing. He’d probably mess something up.

Tears ran down his cheeks as he took a seat and attempted to put his thoughts back in order.

Had Leon not been absolutely drunk and high off his ass, Naegi would’ve probably brought xem along with him, but he was, so Junko was his best bet.

.

He’d been arguing with the nurses for about ten minutes now about when they were going to let them in to see how Ishimaru was doing, which to his dismay would probably only be five hours from then. Naegi could only sit there on the brittle plastic chair and stare blankly at the horrifyingly white wall of the waiting room, the light hurting his eyes as he winced. The image of Ishimaru unconscious and bleeding on the floor flickered behind his eyelids every time he closed his eyes to try and shove away his growing headache, and the stench of alcohol and blood and despair stung the back of his nose every time he remembered the scene.

“Hey, Naegi. You holding up alright?” Junko said as he walked over to the brunette, his voice uncharacteristically quiet as he gently placed a hand on Makoto’s shoulder and took a seat beside him.

Makoto sighed and shook his head gently, slightly dizzy from exhaustion. “Not really, but I’ll manage. How’s Taka doing?”

“I’ll be honest with you, they’re not doing too well, but fae will be fine.” 

A chill ran through Naegi’s spine as he exhaled, holding back tears that quickly flooded his eyes, making his vision blurry.

Of course fae wouldn’t be okay, why would he be okay? Taka was bleeding out a river when Naegi found him, for Christ’s sake. It would be naive to think he’d be okay only a while after that.

“You...you can cry in front of me, you know,” Junko remarked, sensing Naegi’s shift in mood, to which he was met with silence. Deciding not to push any further, it brought up a slightly more pleasant topic.

“They’ll let us in Taka’s room in five hours, I think,” Junko shifted slightly and brought Naegi closer, the smaller man now resting against his chest. “Do you need to go home and rest? I can stay here and call you in case anything happens.”

Naegi shook his head. “You don’t have to.”

“Are you sure?” the blonde asked, the intimidating stuck-up drama queen facade he usually put up now gone.

“I’m sure.”

Junko shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He stood up to leave when he felt a hand grasping his wrist gently. He turned to meet Naegi’s distressed eyes, staring at him expectantly.

“Junko?”

“What’s up?”

It tried so hard to sound nonchalant and bored, but it was clear it didn’t work.

“Thank you. For being here.” Makoto’s voice was small as he slowly let go of Junko’s wrist.

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Junko dismissed in a tone softer than it was used to, sitting back down next to the brunette. “Taks is one of the best people I know. I can’t not be there for them, ya know? It’d be like, and don’t you  _ dare _ tell anyone I said this or I’ll steal your tongue, if I wasn’t there for Mukuro if he overworked himself. We’re...we’re family, and family,  _ true _ family, sticks together, through thick and thin. So...I’m gonna be there for him.”

He stood up to go to the front desk to speak to the nurses again, but paused before he could completely walk away.

“And Naegi?”

The brunette in question glanced up to see Junko’s eyes downcast, face tilted so he would look over his shoulder to look at Naegi, looking anywhere but him, his cheeks flushed slightly.

“I know this doesn’t forgive the shit I’ve done in the past, but...for what it’s worth...I’d be there for you too.”

He offered a small smile, to which Naegi weakly reciprocated. Its eyes glanced down, then back to Naegi as his smile faded just a bit before it sighed and walked away, heels clicking with a bit less flair than usual.

Naegi sighed and glanced back down to his hands, trembling in his lap. Faceless people passed by and flashed his vision with blacks and whites and dim grey-blues.

Not long after, Junko was back again, his phone in his hand.

“I hope you don’t mind if I go outside for a bit,” Junko said, digging his boots into the floor subconsciously. 

Naegi shook his head in response, mumbling a weak, “No, not at all.”

“Ah, alright then. I really need to make some calls,” he said as he dialed someone’s number and put his phone against his ear, staring at Naegi. “I noticed you didn’t bring your phone.”

“Yeah, I didn’t. I forgot.”

Junko shrugged. “Fair enough.” He watched as Naegi shifted in his seat. “I too would forget to bring my phone if something like this happened to me.”

And as the person on the other side picked up the phone, Naegi watched Junko go back to his usual over-the-top drama queen self.

“Oh, hiya Kazzy! How are you holdin’ up away from me? Not too well, I reckon. What, you’re at Hiko’s? Are ya gettin’ laid or somethin’? Haha, just kidding, just kidding.” Naegi heard Junko chattering to his boyfriend with a dopey grin on his face as he walked away, his quiet voice and the gentle way he spoke now gone.

Junko Enoshima...wow. What an…interesting person, to say the least.

It was a complete mystery to Naegi how Junko managed to seamlessly shift through different personalities, and honestly xe would probably never know how Junko did that.

Naegi glanced up at the clock on the wall, lost in thought.

Shit...12 AM already? How long had it been since they’d arrived? And how long would it be until they could see Ishimaru?

Naegi’s chest began to ache, and his stomach felt sick and horrid as he leaned forward to keel over in his seat, tapping his fingertips anxiously against the edge of his chair, breathing ragged as his mind flicked endlessly through the worst scenarios his mind could dream up. His nails dug into his skin and scratched relentlessly at his knuckles as he squirmed impatiently in his seat, uncomfortable from the sick twisted feeling of dread and worry in his stomach.

Xe stood up, deciding to go on a walk around the hospital to ease his mind. Xer shoulders ached from slouching so much, and he knew Ishimaru would have berated him on his posture if he were awake.

Ishimaru...who knew when he’d wake up? There had been an alarming amount of blood coming from his head, and Naegi could’ve sworn xey saw some coming from his hips and legs too. Where had that come from? Naegi had been so distracted by seeing his best friend unconscious and bleeding that he hadn’t bothered to look around to see what the source of the bleeding down there was, but the smell of alcohol had stung his nose far more than the blood had.

Naegi stopped in his tracks, forcing back a small gasp as xer hands clamped over xer mouth. If the smell of alcohol was so strong in there, then Ishimaru must have had at least a bottle or two in there from how pungent the smell was. And the only bottles available were glass...and if glass broke, it would be sharp...and xey knew Ishimaru hadn’t been in the right mindset due to what Naegi saw with Mondo and the previous events.

Had he been trying to…?

It wouldn’t have been a completely outlandish theory. Xey knew Ishimaru had done self harm before - be it cutting, burning, scratching, or otherwise. Xey’d seen the marks and scars that were left. And considering what had happened with Mondo - ugh,  _ Mondo _ \- there was a high probability that Ishimaru had relapsed again.

Naegi forced back another onslaught of tears, stinging his eyes horribly as he furiously wiped at his eyes.

Had Ishimaru broken their promise?

♥

_ “Ishimaru? I got your call, what’s wr - ” _

_ Young sixteen year old Naegi held back a gasp at seeing his best friend curled up and sobbing, sleeves rolled up and forearms dripping with bright pink. _

_ “Oh my God, Ishimaru! Are you okay, what happened to you? Who did this?” Naegi yelped as quietly as he could so as to not scare or startle Ishimaru, running over to mutts side and trying to coax them out. _

_ “Hey, I’m right here. It’s only me, Naegi. It’s okay,” Naegi soothed softly, placing a tentative hand on Ishimaru’s bicep. “Well, it’s not okay right now, but...things will be okay, okay? Just...please tell me what’s wrong. Who did this to you?” _

_ Ishimaru could only whimper, glancing up as much as they could to meet Naegi’s eyes. His ruby eyes were swollen and bloodshot, and Naegi felt a pang of concern shoot through xer body. _

_ “Ishimaru, who did this?” _

_ Naegi vaguely gestured with his free hand to the bright pink cuts on Ishimaru’s forearms. _

_ “...me.” _

_ That...was not the answer Naegi thought xey’d hear. _

_ “You?” _

_ “Yes. I...did this. I hurt myself. I...I don’t know what I was thinking, I’m so sorry…” _

_ Naegi opened his arms silently, and Ishimaru carefully fell into the touch, the former wrapping his arms around Ishimaru and running xer fingers through mutts hair slowly. _

_ “Please, don’t be sorry. What’s in the past is in the past. For now, we can simply make sure this doesn’t happen again anytime soon. I know that it’ll probably happen again in the future, but let’s just do everything we can to stop it from happening, okay?” _

_ “...okay.” _

_ “For starters, are you feeling any better? Do you need to cry it out a little more?” _

_ “I...I think I’ll be okay.” _

_ “Okay. Next, we’re going to take away everything that you could use to do this, just for the time being. Can you come with me and show me where all of your sharp objects, candles, and lighters are?” _

_ Ishimaru nodded silently and stood, taking Naegi’s wrist gently and walking around the house, handing his pocket knives, razors, lighter, and small unscented candles to xem. Xey pocketed the objects and made a note to hide them in xer room later. _

_ “Now we need to clean off the cuts.” _

_ The two headed into the bathroom, and Naegi grabbed the first aid kit and pulled out the disinfectant, wetting a cotton ball with it and taking Ishimaru’s wrist gingerly. _

_ “This might sting.” _

_ “I know.” _

_ “Okay.” _

_ And as Naegi applied the disinfectant and wrapped bandages around Ishimaru’s arms, xey noted that Ishimaru barely flinched or tensed. That was...food for thought, to say the least. _

_ They soon made it back to the bedroom, Ishimaru’s arms properly cleaned and bandaged to the best of Naegi’s abilities, and sat down on the bed. _

_ “Alright. Last, we’re going to make a promise.” _

_ “A...promise?” _

_ “Yes. A promise that no matter what, we’ll always be open with each other, and we’ll always be there for each other.” _

_ “What would that do?” _

_ “It’ll be like...a small reminder that we’re always going to be there for each other. Something to tide off any negative thoughts, at least temporarily. It puts our minds at ease. Like a pact, or a small oath of friendship. You look out for me, and I look out for you. There’s nothing really bad that can happen as long as we have each other.” _

_ “...you promise?” _

_ Naegi smiled softly, holding his arms out for a hug that Ishimaru immediately leaned into. _

_ “I promise.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are not sorry ahaha suffer *bawling*
> 
> comments and kudos are appreciated!!
> 
> \- azalea and clover

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!!
> 
> ( fun fact we started this fic because of a tweet of mondo singing the sesame street shapes rap that evolved into a teacher!ishimaru au with a whole plot and everything )


End file.
